The Changed Time Line
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Re-written version of my very first fanfiction. A Potions accident in his sixth Hogwarts year takes Harry back in time. Will he be able to save his parents and change the time line? Completely AU, partly OOC, sick!Harry, HP/GW, LE/SS not JP! , MM/AD
1. Chapter 1

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_Warnings: I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes. Completely AU, partly OOC (Snape), sick!Harry  
Pairings: HP/GW, LE/SS (not JP!), MM/AD  
_

**_This is a re-written version of my very first story, which I first posted under teddylonglong. While completely re-writing it, I realised that it was more fitting to post it under this user name. Have fun reading! Please look at the warnings above. If you don't like these kind of ff - a sick!Harry fiction, which is completely AU - don't bother to read.  
_**

* * *

It was Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A mere week ago, Harry had finally managed to defeat Voldemort in a thirty-minute brain battle on his second day of the new school year. Due to Harry's ingenuous tactics during the battle, all the loyal Death Eaters had been killed along with Master due to their Dark Mark. Only Professor Snape survived the battle because of his true loyalties and heart belonging to the light as a spy.

Harry still couldn't believe it. Since his first year at Hogwarts, he had practised hundreds of spells and defence methods. During the summer holidays after his fifth year, after Dumbledore had finally told him about the prophecy, he had mulled over the contents of the prophecy; however, in the end, it had been **love** that had helped him fulfil the prophecy, spontaneous and without special preparation.

After he had defeated the evil that had pulled Britain's magical world into a long lasting war, he had to endure a demise party, during which the Minister of Magic held a press conference along with his meddling old Headmaster and awarded him the Order of Merlin first class.

Finally, he was allowed to rest in the hospital wing, where he found time and peace to think about his life and a future that was supposed to be better than his past had been. '_Now I can really be myself and live my life like I always wanted to –__ no more being forced to do something because I'm Harry Potter – maybe I should even change my name,_' he thought, while he absentmindedly endured Pomfrey's last check-up before his release just in time for breakfast on Monday morning of the second week of classes.

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When Harry sat down between his friends at the Gryffindor table, he still couldn't believe that he had fulfilled the prophecy and that from now all he had to worry about was his classes, just like all the other students.

"What do we have first?" he asked his friends, quickly swallowing the last bite of his breakfast.

"We've double Transfiguration first and then a free period," Hermione informed him, looking as if she couldn't wait to head for the classroom.

"So we're all together; that's good," Harry said relieved. "And in the afternoon?"

"Oh, I have Herbology, but better not ask about yours and Mione's timetable," Ron replied, smirking.

Harry groaned. "Don't tell me it's Potions," he said, his voice laced with venom.

"Even worse; double Potions!"

Harry sighed. '_Why does Snape hate me so much? It's nearly impossible not to let my cauldron explode when he's breathing into my neck waiting for me to make a mistake the whole time_,' he thought in annoyance.

"Oh, just shut up you two. Neither Potions nor Professor Snape are that bad," Hermione scolded her friends. "Now let's go; otherwise we'll be late."

On their way to the Transfiguration classroom, Harry became extremely self-conscious, noticing that many of the students were watching him or began to whisper as soon as they saw him.

'_I wished I was just a normal boy, having a normal life together with a family of my own_,' he kept thinking while he tried to transfigure a plush rabbit into a live one.

All of a sudden his Head of House's voice penetrated his ear, "Mr. Potter! What are you doing?"

Harry looked around in confusion. '_What did I do?_' he mused, while he glanced around in astonishment and saw dozens of pink rabbits hopping happily around the classroom. '_Did I just do that?_' he wondered.

"Err... sorry Professor. What happened?"

"Oh nothing special apart from the fact that I merely asked for one rabbit and not for a few dozen," McGonagall replied, sounding extremely annoyed.

Harry groaned inwardly. "I'm sorry Professor. I don't know how that could happen," he apologized, noticing that most of his classmates were giggling or trying to hide their laughter behind their hands, some more successfully than others.

His Head of House gave him a stern look. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but you will have to transfigure all these rabbits back into plush rabbits or at least vanish them. Fortunately, we won't need this classroom until after lunch, and by then I expect all the rabbits to be gone. Please practise transfiguring one plush rabbit into just one live rabbit as homework." With that she dismissed the class.

Harry threw Ron and Hermione a disappointed look. "So much about having a free period. I'll see you two after lunch."

"You don't think we're going to leave you alone with all these rabbits, do you?" Hermione asked incredulously, putting her bag back on the table. "Look, there are about seventy or even eighty of them. Let's try to vanish them together, and maybe we'll even manage to finish in time for lunch."

"Thanks a lot," Harry replied gratefully and tried to transfigure the rabbit running nearby back into a plush rabbit, which was quite difficult. After several unsuccessful tries, they finally decided that Ron and Hermione should stun the rabbits first, so that Harry could transfigure them. Just in time for lunch, the last rabbit was gone, and Harry placed a huge pile of plush rabbits in different colours onto the teacher's table.

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After lunch, Hermione pulled Harry with her to the dungeons. "Where are all the Slytherins?" Harry wondered aloud, noticing that only two Hufflepuffs and four Ravenclaws were in the classroom beside themselves.

"Many of the Slytherins are either dead or still at home because they've lost one or even both parents that were Death Eaters. You know that about half of this class consisted of Slytherins; remember you already had Potions once last week," Hermione reminded him quietly.

"Oh, don't remind me of that. Even after the stupid six feet of homework Snape gave me as punishment, I still don't understand how my cauldron could have exploded," Harry said, sounding extremely annoyed.

With a loud 'bang' the classroom door shut and Professor Snape strode to the front of the classroom, his robes dramatically billowing behind him. "After the disaster of our last class last week, I have once more thought about the standard this class must hold. I still can't imagine how some of you have managed to achieve the necessary grade to be in this class, but as you all know, with a famous name _anything _is possible."

Did Harry only imagine it, or was Snape looking straight at him? Harry dared not look up but intensely watched the floor.

"However, let me tell you something. As you have seen last week, this class is very difficult, and we will be brewing dangerous Potions here. If you are too stupid to brew them correctly, neither fame nor the pleadings of my colleagues will save you from dangerous injuries. Mr. Potter, this applies to you as well."

Harry met his teacher's eyes for the first time today. "Me?"

"Yes you. You're as arrogant as your father was. Don't think that you'll receive any special treatment because of what you did last week," Snape sneered.

"I don't expect anything, especially not from you. And I didn't get into this class because of my name or anything, but because I received an 'O' in my Potions OWL. Maybe I wouldn't be so bad at Potions, if you weren't always breathing down my neck so that I make silly mistakes!" Harry replied in an upset voice.

"Potter, watch yourself, or you will be out of this class faster than you can say 'Potions'," the professor threatened with a hint of anger in his voice, glaring daggers at Harry.

Hermione placed a hand on Harry's arm to stop him from commenting and making things even worse. "Keep calm. Don't let him get to you. That's what he wants," she whispered.

Harry calmed down, but only for the moment. Somehow, he had the feeling that something else was going to happen by the end of the class.

With a flick of the professor's wand, the instructions for the potion appeared on the blackboard. "This is the Esnopia potion, which affords a high level of alertness. It is highly explosive, if the ingredients are not added at the precise time."

Harry carefully chopped the ingredients and just started to add the first of them, when Hermione spoke up. "Excuse me, Professor, what is this potion used for?"

Snape sneered and said, "Even insufferable know-it-all students will have to wait until the potion is finished. We'll ask one of you to test it," he added, addressing the class as a whole.

Hermione blushed and quickly averted her eyes to hide the tears that were threatening to pour from the corners of her eyes. Harry stood up with a very upset expression on his face.

"How dare you insult my friend like this? All she did was asking a question, and if I remember correctly, teachers are supposed to answer questions _nicely_."

"Oh yes, like I said before, as arrogant as your father. Is it not enough to save the whole world? Do you now have to advise your teachers on how to conduct their lessons?" Snape snapped. His face held a menacing glare as he towered threateningly over Harry.

Harry's face became red with anger. "What's your problem SIR? Does it bother you that you've another life debt to pay to my family? If that's your problem, then you can forget it. You saved my life often enough, so that you don't owe me anything SIR."

Snape exploded. "You imbecile! I will get you expelled! Detention tonight at seven o'clock and you'd better not be late. Then we will go to see the Headmaster about your behaviour in this class."

Now Harry saw red. Without even considering what he was doing, he grabbed the remaining ingredients and threw them all together into his cauldron. Within seconds, the Potion exploded all over Harry, who screamed in pain and all of a sudden vanished with a whoosh.

The students remained frozen in shock. "What happened? Where is Harry?" they asked each other in confusion. Even the professor couldn't believe what had happened and turned pale.

"Class dismissed. We will try to brew this potion again in our next class. Ms. Granger, if you are sure that you are not injured, would you be so kind as to accompany me to the Headmaster's office?"

"Yes, of course Professor." Hermione reassured the teacher and followed Snape, having to run to keep up with the fast pace of the Potions master, who was storming up to the Headmaster's office, his robes billowing as he strode. The Headmaster offered lemon drops and tea, which Snape and his student both declined, before they proceeded to tell the story.

While listening, Dumbledore's face became more and more pensive. "The Esnopia potion, you said? I'm sorry, Severus, but frankly speaking, I have no idea what this potion does, and I'm sure that you are proficient enough at Potions to determine what effect the wrongly made liquid will have had on our Mr. Potter."

Snape sighed and turned to the student, who had been astonishingly quiet so far. "Ms. Granger, do you have any idea what Potter did to his potion?"

Hermione threw a frightened glance at the Professor and replied, "Well, as far as I know he became very upset and threw all the ingredients in at once. The last thing I saw him adding properly was the bat wing powder."

Severus remained pensive for a moment, until suddenly an alert expression showed in his eyes, while his always-pale face turned as white as a sheet.

_tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Harry opened his eyes and groaned. His whole body was sore, and he could hardly move his limbs. He looked around wondering where he was and recognized the Potions classroom. '_How did I get here?_' he wondered, when he finally remembered his Potions accident. '_Where did everyone go? Why did they just leave me here? Where's Hermione?_' he mused, trying to ignore the pain as well as possible.

Hearing sounds coming from the front of the classroom, Harry tried to move his head, so that he could see if someone was there. He noticed a figure in black robes, huddled over a cauldron in the front of the classroom. '_That can only be Snape, but I need help so I'll have to ask the git_,' he thought, before he closed his eyes and tried to occlude his mind in order to get the pain somewhat under control.

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Severus Snape, a Slytherin student in his sixth year, was just brewing an experimental potion, when he heard a soft groan at the far end of the classroom. He hurriedly put his potion under a stasis charm and went to see what was wrong, letting out a surprised gasp, when he saw a student lying on the floor near the door, wincing in pain.

"Potter?" he asked in surprise and for once without malice in his voice. "What are you doing here? What happened?" He hated the Gryffindor, but since the boy obviously was in pain, he couldn't simply ignore him.

"Please help me Professor; it hurts," Harry mumbled.

"Professor? Did you hit your head, Potter?" Severus queried, eyeing his rival in suspicion. _'Is this a prank, or has he just gone mad?' _he wondered, glancing around to make sure that none of the Gryffindor's friends were around to prank him.

"If you hadn't insulted me as usual, my potion would never have exploded. Could you please either help me get up or call one of my friends for me?" Harry asked, sounding impatiently.

"I've no idea what you're talking about, Potter, but I'll take you to the hospital wing," the Slytherin replied, moving to help the Gryffindor stand up.

"No, not to the hospital wing. I just want to return to my dormitory, Professor, please, I'll be fine," Harry begged, giving his most hated teacher a pleading look.

Considering how strangely the other boy behaved, Severus replied, "No, I don't think so." He conjured a stretcher and levitated Harry to the hospital wing, where he surprisingly gently put him on the first bed next to the Healer's office and went to get Madam Pomfrey.

She hurried into the wing and asked Severus, "What happened and why is it you, who brought him here?" She gave Harry a sharp look and gasped, unable to believe her eyes. "What have you done to your eyes, Mr. Potter, and where did you get that scar?"

Harry, who was in too much pain to even notice how much younger they both looked and that Severus' voice even sounded different than before, was totally annoyed. He groaned, "You know the colour of my eyes and you've seen my scar often enough to know I've had it since I was fifteen months old, not to mention the rest of the bloody wizarding world. Are you trying to harass me as well? It's bad enough to be brought here by Snape. Can't you just give me a pain relieving potion, so that I can be on my way back to my dormitory?"

"If you ask me, Madam Pomfrey, he must have hit his head. He suddenly keeps calling me 'Professor,'" Severus threw in, frowning.

"Mr. Snape, please go and get Professor Dumbledore immediately." Poppy waved her wand over Harry. "Now, Mr. Potter, how did you manage to put yourself into such a considerable amount of pain?"

Harry sighed. '_Why can't she just give me a pain relieving potion and let me sleep?_' he thought but tried to explain, "It was a Potions accident. We were brewing the Esnopia Potion, and the greasy git – sorry, I mean Professor Snape – insulted me so much that I just lost it and threw all ingredients into my cauldron at the same time. Then the potion exploded, and the next thing I knew was that I was lying on the floor of the Potions classroom and everything hurt. I don't know why none of my classmates took me with them." '_Maybe Snape put them under the Imperius curse in order to prolong my suffering,_' he thought hatefully.

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Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived with Severus in tow just in time to hear Harry's last sentence.

"Good evening my boy. I assume you're Mr. Potter," the headmaster greeted Harry gently.

"Of course; who else would I be?" Harry returned the question, now totally fed up. "Are you all under the Imperius Curse, or what's wrong? Even Madam Pomfrey made fun of me because of my scar. You've all known me for five years; so what's so different today?" He was starting to get really upset. '_Can't they see that I'm in pain and not interested in playing silly games?_'

"Now Mr. Potter, watch your tongue and be a bit more polite and cooperative. We don't know yet what's wrong with you, but we're trying to help you," McGonagall snapped, and Harry noticed that her mouth was stretched to a thin line, which only happened when she was extremely angry.

He gave her an apologizing look, and his eyes grew bigger as he noticed that his Head of House looked completely different. "Wow, you look so young, Professor!" he blurted out in total amazement.

"Why thank you, Mr. Potter. However, I don't think this is the place..."

"Wait a moment, Minerva," the Headmaster interrupted her quickly. "Maybe Mr. Potter can tell us a bit about himself. Am I correct assuming that you're related to our James Potter?"

"James? James was my father. I'm Harry James Potter. Err... Professor, what's wrong? What happened?" Being in too much pain to come to any conclusion himself, he threw the teachers a confused glance.

McGonagall gasped, while Dumbledore looked amused, and his eyes were twinkling madly. Pomfrey seemed as if nothing could really shock her, and Severus didn't show any emotions, although his stomach was doing flip-flops and he groaned inwardly. '_A son of James Potter – can things even get worse?_' he thought.

"Oh my dear boy," the headmaster finally spoke up. "You obviously managed to time travel into the past. It is now the year 1976." Ignoring the shocked expression that spread over Harry's face, he asked, "What year are you from? Are you attending Hogwarts in your time, what year are you in, and what House do you preside in?"

Harry was so stunned that he could only look from one person to the next. '_Right, even Snape is much younger than he was this morning. He's about my age now_,' he thought. '_And my parents? They are supposed to be in Snape's year, so they should be here as well_.' His thoughts were going haywire. Finally, he managed to answer, "If that's so, I must have travelled twenty years, and I'm a Gryffindor sixth year. I don't know how I came here; it was a Potions accident." '_Only because Snape drove me over the edge_,' he thought, glancing at the Slytherin boy.

Madam Pomfrey suddenly interrupted them. "Since he is obviously in pain, I suggest that we try to help him first," she said and then addressed Snape. "Severus, he told me he was brewing the Esnopia Potion and inserted all the ingredients at the same time. As a result, he came here and seems to be in a lot of pain. Do you know the potion, and do you know how to counter it, or do we have to call Professor Slughorn? Will the pain just go away with pain relievers?"

Severus thought for a moment and replied, "No, probably not. You will need a potion of the same ingredients together with a special neutralizer to counteract the effects, like for example a Bezoar. I can brew the potion for Potter, but it will take about an hour."

"That would be good; thank you my boy," Professor Dumbledore threw in. "Could you brew it immediately and come back to make Harry drink the potion as soon as possible, please?"

"All right; it'll only help to kill the pain though; how we can send him back to the future, I have no clue."

"Of course not Severus; Harry will just have to remain here for the time being. Maybe during the next weeks or months, you and Harry can get together and research about time travel with potions?"

"Yes Professor, I would enjoy doing that kind of research," Severus replied, and Harry noticed in surprise that a rare smile was playing on the boy's lips.

"Okay, I'll help, but according to Professor Snape, I'm an absolute dunderhead at Potions," Harry mumbled, groaning inwardly. '_Bad enough that I managed to catapult myself into the past, but now my hope to return to my own time depends on a younger version of the greasy git and my own non-existent Potions abilities. Can things even get worse?_'

"Mr. Potter, we'll leave you here for the night. Severus will bring the potion for you as soon as it is ready, and Professor McGonagall will collect you here tomorrow morning before breakfast to escort you to my office. Since the fact that you are related to James Potter is more than obvious, we will have to give you a new name. What about Harry Pane? We will think about everything else tomorrow morning. Good night Harry."

"Good night Professors."

An hour later, Severus woke Harry up. He grudgingly helped him to sit up and pressed the phial against Harry's lips. "Swallow Potter," he instructed the boy sharply.

Harry obeyed and felt better immediately, relaxing visibly. "Thank you, Severus," Harry mumbled gratefully. "And…"

"What?" Severus asked impatiently.

"Um… I think I have to apologize for insulting you. I was very angry at your future self, but of course that's not you and it's not your fault. Therefore, I'm sorry. And thanks for brewing the potion for me even though I was insulting you earlier," Harry said hesitantly, anxiously playing with his bed covers. Finally, he looked up and received one of the rare smiles from Severus.

"You are welcome, Harry. It's all right; I am sorry myself; I wasn't very friendly to you because I assumed you were your father, and we don't have a good relationship."

"I know that; that's the main reason why your older self hates me so much, but maybe we can try to get along better, okay? I'm in Gryffindor, although the Sorting Hat originally wanted to place me in Slytherin, but I'm not my father, and as far as I've heard about him, I must be very different from him."

"Let's try anyway; maybe we can change the future a bit. Good night, Harry."

"Good night, and thanks again for the potion, Severus."

"You're welcome."

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In the morning, Harry woke up in concern and anticipation at the same time. '_Yesterday was the craziest day in my life – being goaded into a Potions accident by the bat of the dungeons Snape only to arrive in the time of my parents making friends with a twenty years younger Snape! Will I ever be able to return to the future to be with my friends? Will my parents be in the same year? Will we have classes together?_' Suddenly, he became extremely excited. '_What will they say when they hear that their son is here? Will I be allowed to talk to them about it at all? I have to be careful not to change the future, don't I?_'

He had just taken a shower and finished getting dressed when Professor McGonagall arrived to take him to the Headmaster's office. On the way there, Harry noticed that nothing was really different to his own time. The wizards in the moving pictures all along the way were the same, and everything looked like he remembered it from the future.

"Professor, what year are my parents in now?" he hesitantly asked his stern Head of House.

"I suspect your mother is Lily Evans?" McGonagall enquired.

"Yes Professor." He noticed the teacher flashing him a rare small smile but couldn't understand why. He even caught something in her eyes that seemed like pride.

'_Strange; oh well she told me once that she liked my parents_,' he thought as they stopped at the gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office.

"Then both of them are sixth year Gryffindors. Chocolate frogs," she told the gargoyle.

Harry was getting even more excited. '_Sixth year Gryffindors? Then I'll be in the same House and even in the same year as my parents._' Deep in thoughts, he quickly stumbled up the stairs after the professor.

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"Good morning, Minerva, Harry. I hope you are well on this fine morning. Lemon drop?" the Headmaster greeted them in his usual lemon drop way, which Harry already knew all too well from the future, and continued when both of his guests declined, "Now Harry, we have to decide a few things. First of all, I suggested last night that your name will be Harry Pane; do you agree?"

"Of course Professor, no problem." '_However, will anyone believe that, if I look like my father?_' he thought, slightly confused about the necessity of a name change.

"Another point is that no one should know about the fact that you come from the future. We have to tell them a story, maybe that you are an exchange student from abroad. You even shouldn't talk to us about anything, but as I suppose it's necessary for you to have someone to confide in, I suggest that you speak with Professor McGonagall and me about anything you wish, and we'll remember to cast a memory charm on ourselves, before you go back to the future."

"Okay, thank you Professors. I appreciate it very much," Harry replied gratefully, glad that he would have someone to talk to. He suddenly remembered Severus, but Dumbledore was continuing to talk before he could voice his thoughts.

"As you know, Severus already knows about you as well; therefore, you can speak about certain things with him too. However, try not to change the future too much, and make sure that you keep your research with Severus private. He is as much in need of a good friend as you are at the moment, and I hope that you'll get along with each other in spite of what I heard you say about his future self yesterday."

"We'll try Professor. When he brought me the potion, we already talked about that matter for a little while," Harry said softly.

"That's good my boy. Now, Madam Pomfrey knows as well, but she is bound to her Healer's oath and won't tell any of your secrets to others."

"Um... what about my parents, Professor? May I speak to my mother about the matter?"

The two professors exchanged a glance, before the Headmaster replied, "I believe it would be for the best if you tried not to reveal your identity to anyone but those, whom I already mentioned." Harry grudgingly agreed, and Dumbledore continued, "Very well. Since you came here due to an accident, I assume that you don't have any belongings with you; is that correct?"

"Yes sir, that's true. I don't have anything with me except for the clothes I'm wearing, but I don't have any money to buy anything either. What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, we have certain funds for students, who are in need," the Headmaster replied thoughtfully. "One of our staff will take you to Hogsmeade this morning to buy your school books, clothes and everything else you need, a broom as well in case you play Quidditch."

"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry replied in relief. "I'll be able to pay everything back as soon as I'm back in my own time. I've been playing Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team since my first year, and I'd love to play if there was a chance."

Professor McGonagall let out a huge gasp. "First year? Who was Head of Gryffindor in your time? Students are not allowed in their first year!"

Harry couldn't help laughing. "You have been my Head of House since my first year, Professor, and it was you, who talked your Quidditch captain into making me the Seeker and convinced Professor Dumbledore to forget the fact that I was a first year. You even enjoyed quite a fight with Professor Snape about it."

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "I must have become really old in your time. Anyway, I'll take you to Hogsmeade today, and among your school things, we'll buy a broom for you. Gryffindor is indeed in need of a new Seeker, and I'll have a word with your father, our Quidditch captain, about you. Please meet me in the entrance hall at 11 o'clock."

"All right Professor; thank you very much," Harry replied gratefully, feeling very relieved that everyone, whom he had met in the past so far, was so friendly and understanding.

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Professor Dumbledore turned to Harry once more. "Although I know that you already have been sorted in your time, the Hogwarts rules require a Sorting at this time as well. Are you ready to talk to Sopho again?"

Harry looked up to the shelf, where he knew the Sorting Hat was placed. '_I never heard that his name was Sopho_,' he thought, smiling as he said, "Of course Professor.".

Professor McGonagall fetched the Sorting Hat from the shelf and put it on Harry's head.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments on the previous chapter! And in case someone is wondering, this will not be slash. I don't write slash._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

'_Ah, Mr. Potter, what is your name now, Mr. Pane? I know you; I've sorted you before, and even after that we've talked several times. Each of these times, I told you that you could be great in Slytherin, but you always preferred Gryffindor. Will you let me sort you into Slytherin this time?_'

Harry frowned. '_I believe that I could do well in Slytherin, but as you probably know, my parents are in the same year as I am. Although I've never known them, I know that at least my father would despise me if I was in Slytherin. So in order to get to know my parents this time, I'd really appreciate it if you could sort me into Gryffindor once more_.'

'_All right then, I'll once more listen to your ideas, but I can promise you that the next time I get to sort you, you'll end up in a different House! So this time it'll be_' "GRYFFINDOR!"

'_Thank you, Sopho_,' Harry thought back in relief, before he pulled the Hat off his head and handed it back to Professor McGonagall.

"That took quite a bit time, Mr. Pane. Were you talking to the Hat, or did it just need that much time to decide?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

'_Oops, what am I going to tell him?_' Harry thought and quickly replied, "Yes, we had some kind of... err... discussion." Harry sighed and told the professors about his earlier conversation with the Hat.

McGonagall frowned. "I didn't know that students were able to talk Sopho into putting them into a special House, Albus. Do you think that is normal?" she queried, glancing at Dumbledore.

"I don't know Minerva, but I'm going to have a little talk with the Hat later," the Headmaster answered calmingly.

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"Very well, Harry, you will share your classes and even your dormitory with your parents," Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry.

"And with my godfather Sirius and my 'nearly godfather' Remus. They're in Gryffindor as well, aren't they?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yes, they are. Do you think you'll be able not to reveal yourself to either of them?" Dumbledore queried, smiling at the excited boy.

Harry frowned and replied in a small voice, "I can't promise that I'll succeed, but I give you my word that I'll do my best."

"That has to suffice, my boy, but please do try your best, and if you encounter any problems, come to speak with Minerva or myself. And now let's head down to the Great Hall for breakfast," the Headmaster said and ushered them out of his office.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall escorted Harry to the Gryffindor table and introduced him to Lily Evans and Remus Lupin, the sixth year prefects. While Harry sat between them, Dumbledore addressed the students.

"Good morning students. Today, we have a new student in our sixth year. His name is Harry Pane; he comes from a small private wizarding school in Germany, and he has already been sorted into Gryffindor. Please give him a friendly welcome to Hogwarts."

Harry suddenly heard Sirius' excited voice out of all the others. "Look Prongs; he looks like a twin brother of you!"

Harry was so glad to see Sirius alive and happy that he threw a huge smile in his direction, before he turned his eyes to look at his sixteen-year old father in awe. He badly wanted to speak with his mother next to him; however, he didn't know what to say, so he instead addressed Remus on his other side and enquired, "Are you all sixth years?"

Remus laughed and began to introduce his friends. "Yes, the one over there with the dirty laugh is Sirius Black; the one, who resembles you so much, is James Potter, our Quidditch captain. The boy next to me is Peter Pettigrew. Like our Head of House said, the girl next to you is Lily Evans, and sitting beside her is her friend Alice. I'm Remus Lupin. All of us are in our sixth year."

"Thanks for the introduction, Remus," Harry replied gratefully.

"By the way, Harry, do you play Quidditch?" Remus asked with interest.

"Yes, in my old school I've been playing Seeker from first year onwards."

"Are you any good?" James, who had heard the conversation, asked, looking excited.

'_Wow, that's my father's voice_,' Harry thought happily. "In my five years I've only lost one game and that was because someone had placed Dementors around our school," Harry answered, absentmindedly taking another piece of bacon.

"That sounds good. As we're only in need of a Seeker, I don't want to hold tryouts this year. If you're interested, meet me on the Quidditch pitch after dinner tonight."

"Thank you, I'd like that very much. Professor McGonagall is going to accompany me to Hogsmeade today, so that I can buy a broom." Harry beamed with excitement. '_I'd love to play in my Dad's Quidditch team_,' he thought happily. He nearly choked when Lily addressed him.

"When you're finished with your breakfast, I'll take you to Professor McGonagall's office, because you need to get your timetable from her, and you probably won't find the way on your own."

"Thanks. Err... I'm sorry to bother you."

"That's no problem, Harry. Our first class is Transfiguration anyway, and the classroom is just next to her office. If you have any problems, be it finding your way to a class or anything, just ask Remus or me; we'll always help you."

"Thank you," Harry replied, noticing terrified that he blushed.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

After dinner, Remus, Sirius and Lily accompanied Harry to the Quidditch pitch. James and Harry played five Seeker-against-Seeker scrimmages, and Harry noticed soon that his father was a good flyer, but not nearly as good as himself. Everyone let out a loud gasp when Harry suddenly tumbled downwards, heading straight towards the ground.

Two meters before hitting the ground, Harry pulled straight up to where he had spotted the Snitch just before his dive, causing James, who had followed him, to nearly hit the ground. Finally, out of the five Seeker-against-Seeker scrimmages, Harry won five. Sirius and Remus were delighted.

"Wow James, exactly what you need!" Sirius said teasingly.

"Yes, that's true," James answered, ignoring the tease. "I really need a good Seeker. Congratulations Harry, you're on the team! Quidditch practice is every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after dinner."

Harry was happier than he could remember having been any time before. '_My main task in my own time, the demise of Voldemort, is fulfilled, and until I can find a way to go home, with the help of a younger and hopefully friendlier Severus Snape than the greasy git, I can as well enjoy my time in the past,' _he thought._ 'I'll take the chance to get to know my parents and the younger versions of my teachers, Severus and Remu_s.'

The first class on the next day was Potions. With a slightly queasy feeling, remembering his last Potions class, Harry descended the stairs to the dungeons with Lily, Remus and Peter. When they entered the classroom, he saw that Severus was sitting alone in the first row. He quickly slipped into the seat next to him, unaware of the fact that Lily, Remus, and Peter looked at each other in disbelief, wondering why he would sit next to a Slytherin instead of sticking to them.

"Hello Severus. As I told you, I'm really, really bad at Potions. Can we still sit together?"

Severus smirked, and a small smile stole itself onto his face. "Hello Harry. Of course we can, and maybe I can help you. As you probably know, Potions is my favourite subject."

"Oh well, I think I can believe that. In my time, you're the best Potions Master in Britain. But that's not the reason why I want to sit with you. I'd like to get to know you better," Harry replied in a barely audible voice.

"That's all right, Harry. Yesterday, I was wondering where you were. I thought, once sorted into Gryffindor, that you might have forgotten me."

"Of course not," Harry replied urgently. "I was just really busy. In the morning, I had to go to Hogsmeade to buy my school supplies, and in the evening I had Quidditch tryouts."

"You play Quidditch?" Severus asked with apparent interest.

"I'm the new Seeker of the Gryffindor team," Harry beamed, feeling very happy and proud to be on his father's team. "Do you play Quidditch?"

"I'm Chaser on the Slytherin team," Severus answered, but then the door of the classroom shut and Professor Slughorn approached the front of the classroom, leaving them unable to continue their conversation.

Harry and Severus worked together on the Potion, and the Slytherin was appalled at his lack of skills.

"NO! It says COUNTER clockwise – can't you read?" Severus glared at Harry in disbelief.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled quietly. "I told you that I'm bad at Potions. Your future self always calls me a 'dunderhead'."

Severus rolled his eyes. "If you always brew Potions like this, I can well imagine that. However, I'll try to help you to improve your infantile attempts before you go back. I'm willing to give you tutoring lessons every evening when we don't have Quidditch practice if you wish."

"Thank you, Severus. I hate Potions, but maybe it'll be fun to brew without a Potions Master breathing into my neck and scaring the wits out of me."

Professor Slughorn interrupted them. "Did you encounter any problems, Mr. Snape, Mr. Pane?"

"No, Professor, everything is all right," Severus answered quickly in order not to attract more attention.

"Then maybe it would be better to concentrate on your brewing," Slughorn said in a slightly reprimanding voice.

"Yes of course. Sorry Professor, it was my fault," Harry mumbled.

Due to Severus' talent, they managed to brew the potion flawlessly in spite of their discussions and agreed to meet in the Potions classroom for Harry's tutoring every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening as well as on Sunday afternoon. To his great surprise, Harry had enjoyed the Potions class, and even if Severus was a bit snarky, he was still very friendly and helpful. '_Maybe I'll be able to prevent him from becoming the greasy git, which he was in the future_,' Harry thought as he followed Lily and Remus out of the classroom.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

Quidditch practice was a lot of fun. Although his Nimbus 11 was much slower than the Firebolt, which he had owned in the future, he noticed that he was able to fly just a little faster than his father, whose flying abilities Sirius had always praised so much in the future. However, James didn't mind at all; he was glad to have found such a promising Seeker for his team.

One day, Harry overheard Sirius and James talking in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"James, I don't trust him. I don't know why; it's just a feeling. First of all, why does he look like you? Is he related to you? He can't be using Polyjuice Potion, can he?" Sirius asked.

James let out a snort. "Why should anyone want to look like me?" he asked in disbelief. "I'd change my hair into anyone else's if I could. But it's obvious that he must be related to me; I mean, the Potters are a big old family, so why not? I don't care. In fact, I like the boy; he is friendly and nice to everyone. So what's your problem with him?"

"As I said, I don't know. Something just seems strange with him; that's all. Did you notice that he's observing you, me, Remus, and even Lily strangely, differently from the way one normally watches people? I can't say that his behaviour is cause for trust."

"He watches Lily? What's that? Are you sure?" James seemed to wake up, suddenly becoming interested in Sirius' arguments.

"No James, not in that way. I didn't mean to imply that. It's all right. Calm down," Sirius said, groaning in annoyance.

At that point, they left Harry's hearing range. After listening to this conversation, Harry was even more self-conscious in his interactions with the Marauders and Lily, not wanting to give himself away or give the Marauders any reason not to trust him.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

One day, Harry entered the library and saw Lily sitting alone at a table, her eyes swimming in tears. So far, he hadn't spoken much with his mother, because he was still uncertain how to interact with her, but he couldn't ignore her and hesitantly sat down next to her.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"It's nothing Harry; I'm fine," Lily reassured him, giving Harry a small smile.

"Lily, you don't look fine. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help you," he asked hesitantly.

His mother let out a long sigh. "It's just that I'm having problems with Potions class. I messed up all the potions we had so far this year. But please don't tell anybody about it, especially not James and his friends. They'd only laugh about me. In fact, I've always been good at Potions, but this year, I'm really having problems," Lily confided.

"Oh, I only understand too well. I've always had problems with Potions. But now Severus is tutoring me a few times a week. Would you perhaps like to join us?"

"Severus Snape?" Lily asked in surprise. "He wouldn't help me. He is a Slytherin, and he even called me a 'Mudblood' once, just because I'm Muggle born. I'm really sad about it, because until a year ago we've always been good friends."

"I think that's only the bad influence of some pureblood Slytherins. Severus is not so bad," Harry hesitantly tried to explain. "I've become friends with him, and I think he has already changed a bit since I first arrived here a month ago. I can ask him if you want. I'm going to meet him tonight anyway."

"Thank you, Harry; that would be nice," Lily said gratefully, wiping an errand tear from her cheek.

"No problem, Lily. I'd love to study together."

Harry spoke with Severus about Lily that evening, and they agreed to extend their evening sessions to Lily, but to keep their Sunday afternoons private to give Harry the opportunity to talk about the future and to have a chance to start their research about how to send Harry back. Professor Dumbledore had already talked to Severus, and Severus knew that he would have to be obliviated, before Harry would return to the future. He would remember Harry as a very good friend, whom he would meet again in the future, but nothing more.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

In the evening before the October full moon, Harry noticed that the Marauders were very excited. Only now, he suddenly remembered Remus' condition along with the fact that he was not supposed to know about it. In September, he hadn't thought about it and hadn't even noticed that the Marauders had left their dormitory during the night. '_Maybe at that time, just a week after coming to the past, I was too preoccupied with other things to notice anything_,' he thought, wondering how he could have completely forgotten about Remus' problem.

Suddenly, a different thought popped up in his head. '_I have to speak with Severus as soon as possible_,' he thought, looking at his wrist watch. '_It's still half an hour until curfew, and maybe Severus is still in the Potions classroom. I'll go and see if I can talk to him_,' he decided. Throwing his robe over his pyjamas, he left the dormitory and ran to the dungeons as fast as he could. From under the door of the Potions classroom, he could see light. '_I just hope it's Severus. How can I explain to the Professor or, even worse, to any other Slytherin what I'm doing down in the dungeons just before curfew?_' he thought anxiously. However, he was lucky. When he summoned all his courage and slightly opened the door, he could see his friend brewing a potion.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Severus hissed, looking at him in disbelief.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I've something very important to tell you. And it mustn't be overheard by anyone."

"Okay, no problem. Close the door properly," Severus instructed him and put his potion under a stasis charm, before he waved his wand to lock the door, before he cast a silencing spell around them. "Now, what's wrong?" he asked, giving Harry an expecting look.

"Err… I don't know how to tell you about it, so I'll just spit it out. You know Remus, don't you? Um...I only know from the future that I must tell you this, okay? So you can't speak to anyone about it; is that clear?"

"Of course Harry; you know that I'd never tell anyone about what you have told me." Severus looked straight into Harry's green eyes.

Harry averted his eyes to the floor, suddenly feeling very stupid. "Yes, of course, I know that. I'm sorry. Anyway, what I have to tell you is that Remus is a werewolf. The fact as such is not a problem, but in the future I was told that you had noticed something about him and were trying to find out what his problem was. He always spends the night of the full moon in the Shrieking Shack, and what I heard was that Sirius told you that if you wanted to know about Remus' secret, you should go to the Shrieking Shack during the full moon. You did as you were told, and James only saved you in the last minute before Remus would have killed you. I don't want that to happen again, so I just had to tell you."

Harry slowly looked up to face his friend. Severus didn't react at all, clearly shocked by the revelation. Finally, he managed to form words. "Thank you Harry. I really appreciate what you have done for me. That would have been a shock for life."

"Yeah, well, I think so. Your future self is still suffering from it. Now I've changed the future, although I shouldn't have done that," Harry said solemnly. He looked at his watch, seeing that it was already thirty minutes after curfew. "Are you sure that you're okay, Severus? If you are, then we should return to our dormitories. It's late."

"It's okay. I have to clean up here, but that is no problem. You have to walk quite a way, so you better leave. Good night Harry and thank you."

"Good night Severus. I'll see you tomorrow," Harry said and run back to Gryffindor tower, until a stern voice penetrated his ears.

"Mr. Pane! What are you doing out of your dormitory after curfew?"

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews!_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

"I'm sorry Professor, but I urgently had to speak with Severus about something very important," Harry said softly, giving his Head of House an apologetic look.

"Very well then you should be able to explain the reason to the Headmaster and myself," Professor McGonagall replied sternly, her mouth stretched to a thin line. "Follow me." With that she turned around and swiftly walked towards the Headmaster's office.

Harry hesitantly explained the whole story to the teachers, who were clearly shocked at his revelations and remained quiet for a few minutes.

Finally Dumbledore broke the silence. Thoughtfully stroking his beard, he said gently, "Harry, thank you very much for warning Severus tonight. 100 points to Gryffindor. Now, I believe that it is time for you to go to bed, and I am sure Professor McGonagall will be so kind as to escort you back to Gryffindor tower."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

Harry couldn't sleep that night. When he returned to the dormitory, none of his classmates were there. They had all drawn their curtains, but from the lack of breathing sounds, he knew that the room was empty. Trying to ignore the strange silence in the dormitory, he scrambled into his bed, pondering what he should do about the matter. '_Should I talk to them and tell them that I know about Remus' problem only to obliviate them later on? They can't know that I came from the future; otherwise they'd know immediately that I'm James' son_,' he mused. '_Or should I just keep quiet and pretend not to hear and see anything?_' It was six o'clock in the morning when he finally fell into a restless sleep.

Thirty minutes later, James, Sirius, and Peter slipped into the dormitory, hidden under James' invisibility cloak.

"Oh, he is fast asleep. Hopefully he didn't notice that we were gone at all," Sirius beamed.

"I don't think that we'll be able to hide it from him forever," James said, shrugging.

"Do you think we should tell him the truth?" Sirius asked, feverishly searching for a pair of matching socks.

James let out a long sigh. "Frankly speaking I think we should tell him, but I believe that it's up to Remus to make that decision. We'll have to ask him tonight. Anyway, I'm going to wake up this lazybones." With that, James went over to Harry.

"Harry, it's time to get up. Hurry up or you're going to miss breakfast," he said in a loud voice, carefully shaking Harry's shoulder.

Harry groaned, feeling absolutely groggy. "Sorry James, I don't want breakfast. I'm tired. Can you wake me up again in time for our first class?" he asked pleadingly.

"Okay, we'll do that," James readily agreed. "Come on Sirius, Peter; let's go."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

Harry woke up to a cool hand on his forehead, and a soft voice penetrated his ear. "Harry, what's wrong? Are you ill?"

Harry lazily opened his eyes but was fully awake when he saw his mother, Lily, standing next to his bed. "Sorry; no, I'm fine; I'm just tired and my head hurts. I didn't sleep well."

"Shall I excuse you with Professor McGonagall?" Lily asked softly. "Transfiguration is going to commence in ten minutes."

"No thanks; I'll hurry up."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

Harry just managed to slip into the room, before Professor McGonagall shut the door.

With a flick of the teacher's wand, stuffed rabbits were distributed to the students' desks. "Each student should have one stuffed rabbit. Today, we will try to transfigure these rabbits into live rabbits," the professor announced.

Harry groaned inwardly. '_Only one rabbit, only one rabbit, only one rabbit, two rabbits, three rabbits…_' His head hurt and his eyes were so heavy, '…_not too many rabbits…_'

"Mr. Pane!"

Harry nearly fell from his chair, startled, as he cracked his eyes open and glanced at his Head of House, who was standing in front of him. "Oh, I'm sorry Professor."

"Do you think this is too easy for you?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly, glaring daggers at him.

"No, of course not, Professor," Harry replied uncomfortably, averting his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry; I just don't feel very well today."

Lily spoke up. "Professor, I think Harry is really unwell today. I even had to go and wake him up ten minutes before the beginning of the class. Maybe he should go back to bed and rest?"

McGonagall gave Harry a sharp look. "All right Mr. Pane, go back to your dormitory, and if you still don't feel better at lunchtime, go and see Madam Pomfrey. Take your rabbit with you and try to transfigure it into a live rabbit. I want to see a live rabbit in our next class on Friday."

Harry nodded. "Thank you Professor, thanks Lily," he said and returned to the dormitory. He slept through lunch and managed to be in the dungeons just in time for his afternoon classes. Severus smiled when Harry slipped into the seat next to him.

"Hello Harry, how are you? When you didn't come to Charms, Lily told me you were sick. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes," Harry replied, feeling very uncomfortable to lie to his friend. "I'll tell you later, when we're alone."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

The same evening after Quidditch practice, James held Harry back. "Can we meet in our dormitory for a few minutes? We'd like to talk with you about something."

"Of course," Harry replied and followed his father and his friends back to the dormitory in excitement, wondering what the other boys wanted to speak about.

James cast a locking spell and a silencing spell at the door, causing Harry to give him a questioning look. Remus, Sirius and Peter, who had already made themselves comfortable on their beds, quietly watched James and Harry. Remus was the first to speak up. "Harry, we'd like to tell you something; however, you have to swear that you won't speak about it with anyone else."

"I promise," Harry replied sincerely.

"I'm a werewolf," Remus told him.

Harry had to try hard to put an astonished expression on his face. "A werewolf... That means that you transform into a wolf on the full moon every month, is that correct?" he asked thoughtfully, trying to sound curious.

"Exactly," Remus confirmed. "I always go to the Shrieking Shack on the nights of the full moon to transform. If I was together with other people, they'd be killed. However, James, Sirius, and Peter are Animagi. They can transform into animals and are able to safely spend the night with me. James is a stag, Sirius a dog and Peter a rat. However, no one must know about me being a werewolf, which only the teachers know of course, nor about the others being unregistered Animagi."

"I won't tell anyone," Harry promised. "That sounds very interesting. Do you think you could teach me how to become an Animagus too?"

Everyone laughed, looking very relieved. "Of course, we'll teach you. We can practise every night here in the dormitory," Sirius beamed.

James picked up a quill and wrote something on a small parchment, before he instructed Harry, "Go to the library and get this book. Make sure that you read through the first two chapters until tomorrow evening."

Harry eagerly accepted the parchment from his father, went to the library to get the book and managed to read through the whole book until late that night. It was so interesting that he just couldn't stop. As soon as he woke up in the morning, he turned to James. "How do I get the potion that shows me which animal I'm going to become? Do I have to brew it?"

"Yes, you either have to brew it, or you can buy it at Hogsmeade, but I don't know when the next Hogsmeade visit will be. We bought it at Hogsmeade, so I don't know how difficult it is to brew."

"Oh well, I can ask Severus," Harry said thoughtfully. "He is tutoring me in Potions every other evening, and I'm going to meet him tonight anyway. Maybe he can show me how to brew it tonight."

"Are you sure, Snivellus won't tell anyone?" Sirius asked, his voice laced with distrust.

"Yes" Harry replied firmly, "I'm sure."

When he told Severus and Lily about the potion, both of them were eager to brew the potion and test it as well. Harry promised to tell them everything he learned about the Animagus Transformation and help them during their Potions tutoring lessons, so that they could learn to become Animagi at the same time.

Harry returned to his dormitory just in time for his first Animagus lesson with the potion in his robe pocket and beaming with excitement.

"All right, Harry, do you have the potion?" James asked, giving him a questioning look. When Harry proudly showed them the bottle, he advised, "I suggest that you lie down on your bed before taking the potion, because you'll really transform into the animal, which you're going to become, and the first Transformation might hurt a lot."

Harry complied and transformed, and for an instant he found himself in a black world of pain. When he opened his eyes again as soon as the pain receded some, he noticed that his field of vision was much wider than before, and he felt as if he had wings. Looking at himself, he saw many white feathers.

"A phoenix! You're a phoenix!"

"An ice phoenix. Lots of white feathers and a few green ones, cool!"

"A magical animal. That's brilliant; I didn't know that was possible!"

His friends were looking at him in apparent amazement, and Harry finally realized, '_If I'll be able to become an Animagus, I'm going to be a phoenix. That's cool. I'll be able to fly without a broom_.' He felt extremely happy.

"Please, you just have to teach me how to transform," he begged his friends as soon as he was back in his human form.

"We'll do that, and we're going to commence tomorrow evening," his father said, fully understanding Harry's excitement.

During the following weeks, his friends joined him for his Animagus practice every evening, and twice a week Harry additionally practised together with Lily and Severus. Lily was training to become an owl and Severus a snake.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

On Friday morning in the Transfiguration class, Harry was again dreading the correct Transfiguration from a rabbit into just one live rabbit. His stomach was churning and he was on the verge of throwing up when the professor called, "Mr. Potter please."

Harry summoned all his courage to transfigure his rabbit, and the blink of an eye later, three pink rabbits were running around his table.

Professor McGonagall nodded her approval, vanishing the rabbits with a flick of her wand. "It wasn't your turn yet, Mr. Pane, but very nice Transfiguration indeed. Now, Mr. Potter please."

Harry leaned back in his chair in relief. '_I hope no one noticed anything; I have to be more careful to remember that my name isn't Potter for the time being_,' he thought as he observed his classmates transfigure their rabbits.

良かったね

The sun was shining brightly for the first Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. '_That's strange_,' Harry mused. '_In my time, the first match was always against Slytherin and only in November_.' He managed to catch the Snitch after an hour, causing the game to end Gryffindor 270 – Hufflepuff 40. '_I caught the Snitch_,' he thought happily. '_I wouldn't want to disappoint my parents_.' The party in the Gryffindor common room was extremely loud and lasted half the night, but in spite of being together with the Marauders, Harry missed some of the atmosphere, which the Weasley twins used to bring to their victory parties.

ある日曜日

On Sunday morning, Harry decided to go for a walk around the lake. He sat down at his favourite spot under a tree and reflected about his life in the past and in the future and wondered if he was going to change the time line even unwittingly just by being in the past at the moment.

Suddenly, he spotted something on the other side of the lake. To his horror, he witnessed a scene, which he knew only too well. Sirius and James were picking on Severus, while Remus was sitting beside them reading a book.

The Marauders didn't know what happened to them when Harry rushed over and shouted, "Stop bothering Severus IMMEDIATELY, or you will get to know my bad side!"

"What do you have to do with Snivellus?" asked Sirius.

"He's my friend, and you'll never be able to understand why, if you don't try to get to know him."

"He is a Slytherin, and you can be sure that in the future he'll be kissing Voldemort's feet," Sirius said, casting a look of pure hatred at Severus.

With that Harry saw red and shouted, "Come over here, Sirius, James and Remus. I have to tell you something. Now!" He waved his wand and cast a silencing spell around the four of them and Severus. "Listen very well, because I'm going to tell you this only once," he said in a deadly quiet voice. "I've come from twenty years in the future. I know everything that will happen in your lives during the next twenty years. In the future, Severus will be on my side, but your good friend Peter is going to betray Lily and James to Voldemort and will bring Sirius to Azkaban for that."

"What?"

"That can't be true!"

"You're hallucinating!"

"Really? That means... What's your real name?" James enquired, glaring at Harry.

Harry let out a snort. "My name is Harry James Potter... Dad."

"You're my son?" James asked incredulously. "Who's your mother then?"

"I will let you figure that out for yourself, Dad," Harry replied, chuckling. "Sirius and Remus are my godparents, but let me tell you that I can't be proud of parents or godfathers, who are bullies and pester other students. I'm your friend at this time, but I'm also Severus' friend!"

"Do you know us all from the future?" Remus enquired.

"I know you quite well Remus, but I can't tell you more as much as I'd love to. I'm not allowed to talk about the future; so please don't ask me anything else. However, I'd appreciate if you could try to behave civilly towards Severus, even if you don't want to be friends with him."

With that, Harry cancelled the silencing spell and pulled Severus away with him. As soon as the Marauders turned away, he performed three obliviating spells, mumbling in a low voice, so that only Severus could hear it, "I'm sorry Remus, James, Sirius, but I had to do that."

Severus smirked. "You're full of secrets, aren't you? Will they remember anything about it?"

"Well, they will remember not to trust Peter but to trust you," Harry replied thoughtfully.

"Thank you so much, Harry," Severus replied gratefully.

"You're welcome, Severus."

"You still wanted to tell me what happened on Wednesday to prevent you from showing up for Charms."

Harry chuckled and told his friend about how he had spent the night of the full moon wondering how he should behave towards the Marauders. "I only slept for about an hour that night and woke up with a splitting headache. Then I attended Transfiguration and we had to transfigure stuffed rabbits into live rabbits and I just felt sick."

"We had to do that as well. What is the problem with transfiguring rabbits into real ones? Not that I am very good at it, but..." Severus raised an eyebrow.

Harry sighed and told him about the Transfiguration class that he had on the day before he arrived in the past. "McGonagall was very annoyed having her classroom overrun by at least fifty rabbits, but the main point is that I hate attention. Your future self used to call me "attention seeking brat", because I always get so much attention. However, I don't want it, and I really appreciate that so far I'm just a normal student here without any fame or such, just like anyone else. I've never been so happy in my life before, and I didn't want to lose that just because of this Transfiguration of rabbits."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

The Halloween feast a few days later was similar to those that Harry had experienced in his own time. However, he couldn't help thinking about what would be going to happen in exactly four years and wasn't able to enjoy the feast at all. Therefore, he decided to go to bed early. However, as soon as he was asleep, he was pulled into a vision. He suddenly found himself in a dark stone room and heard himself speak.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! I really appreciate them!_


	5. Chapter 5

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

"Come here, my faithful servants. I hope that you brought your sons along with some other students, who will be given the honour of receiving my Mark tonight. Afterwards, we will show the world a pleasurable Halloween feast at Diagon Alley. My most faithful servants, bring your children to me."

The Death Eaters, who were accompanied by their still unmarked children, stepped forward and bowed deeply, nearly as if they were kissing Voldemort's robe. He branded each of the new Death Eaters and conducted a personal ceremony with each of them.

"Malfoy Junior, what is your name?"

"Lucius, my Lord."

"Are you willing to be my servant in favour of the power over the world against the light?"

"Yes, my Lord."

He waved his wand over Malfoy and cast one of the unforgivable spells. "Crucio."

Harry began to thrash around wildly, his hand pressed against his scar. After a short time, Voldemort countered the curse.

"Why is it that you want to join my circle?"

"It is my greatest desire to serve you to gain full power over the world, my Lord," the boy replied in a thin voice.

"Then we'll test if I deem you worthy of my precious mark. Crucio." A few minutes later, Voldemort countered the curse, before he placed his wand on Malfoy's arm and mumbled an incantation in Parseltongue that caused the Dark Mark to appear on the boy's arm. "You're now a member of my servants. Prove yourself worthy of the honour. Crucio."

Harry was just watching the third student being marked, when Lily and Remus, who had been looking for him, found him in his bed. His scar stood deeply red on his pale forehead, and he was slightly moaning as he thrashed around wildly.

"Harry, wake up; what's wrong?" Lily asked in concern.

Harry groaned in pain, mumbling, "Go and get Dumbledore please. Quickly."

"I'll go", Remus said immediately. "Lily, stay here and look after him." He ran out of the room.

"What's wrong, Harry? Is there anything I do for you?" Lily enquired, sitting down on the edge of Harry's bed.

Harry just managed to say, "I'm going to be sick," and Lily quickly transfigured a sock into a bucket, before Harry turned on his side and emptied his stomach of its contents.

A few minutes later, Dumbledore entered the room with McGonagall in tow. They hurried over to Harry. "What's the matter, Mr. Pane? Are you ill?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"His scar looks as if it was infected, and he's burning up, Albus; we should take him to the hospital wing," McGonagall said in apparent concern.

"No; I must tell you something, but only in private, please. It's very important," Harry requested urgently, shivering violently.

"Ms. Evans, Mr. Lupin, thank you very much for alerting us. Please leave us for a moment," the Headmaster said, casting a silencing spell at the door, after the two students left.

"I had a vision. Voldemort is going to attack Diagon Alley tonight. You must alert the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors quickly!"

The professors looked at Harry in disbelief. McGonagall whispered to Dumbledore, "He seems to have a fever. Maybe he is hallucinating?"

"No!" Harry insisted, getting upset. "Professors, please hear me out. I received my scar when Voldemort tried to kill me at the age of one. Since then, I've been connected to him through this scar, and I can often see his Death Eater meetings and other events. This connection also helped me to kill him in the future. Please believe me. He initiated several students as new Death Eaters tonight and told his followers that they were going to attack Diagon Alley later in the evening. Please hurry up and contact the Aurors."

The Headmaster gave Harry an understanding nod and said thoughtfully, "As unbelievable as it sounds, Minerva, I deem Mr. Pane as very trustworthy and believe what he says. Therefore, I will contact the Aurors and some of our friends to meet them in Diagon Alley later. Please guard the school for me and take Mr. Pane to the hospital wing, so that Poppy can check on him." With that, he hurriedly crossed the room and left.

Professor McGonagall gave Harry a sharp look. "Do you think you'll be able to walk to the hospital wing?"

"No! I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital wing!"

The teacher glared at him and replied strictly, "Your scar is infected, you are burning up, and it is obvious that you are in pain. Either you will go to the infirmary with Mr. Lupin's and my help or I'm going to levitate you there. It's your choice."

Having known his Head of House for a long enough time to know that she wouldn't give in, Harry groaned and scrambled out of the bed. While Remus and the professor helped him to the hospital wing, Lily went to the Great Hall to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

Upon seeing Harry, the Mediwitch asked, "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Mr. Pane?"

Harry glanced at the Healer in annoyance and mumbled, "Nothing; I'm fine. I just need a headache potion, and I'll be on my way."

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes in annoyance, muttering something to herself as she waved her wand over him, casting a diagnostic spell. Finally, she said sternly, "No way, Mr. Pane. You can make yourself comfortable on that bed; you'll have to stay here for the night. And I don't want any more discussions, because I am the one to decide whether you're fine or not." She made him drink a headache potion and a fever reducer, and Harry lay down in a sulk.

Professor McGonagall shook her head in annoyance and turned to the Medi-witch, "Poppy, in case you need me, I'll be in Albus' office since he'll be out for a few hours. Please don't give Mr. Pane a sleeping potion, because it might be that Albus will need to speak to him later tonight."

"Well let me tell you something, Minerva, even if he is the Headmaster, he can't come in the middle of the night to wake up my patients," Pomfrey replied sternly, before she shooed the professor and the students out of the wing.

Harry woke up a few hours later to several loud voices near his bed. He could only recognize two of them, those of Dumbledore and Pomfrey. "I'm sorry Poppy, but the Aurors have to talk to him now. I can't explain to them how we could know in advance what was going happen this evening. Mr. Pane has saved many lives tonight. Please allow us to speak with Harry for a few minutes."

The Healer sighed in exasperation, before she finally relented. "Mr. Pane is not well, and he shouldn't be disturbed. The Aurors have exactly five minutes to talk to him, before I'm going to throw each of them out," she replied, sounding extremely angry.

Dumbledore stepped over to Harry's side. "Harry, my dear boy, I'm very sorry to disturb you. The Aurors want to thank you for saving hundreds of lives tonight. Could you please very quickly explain to them how you could know what was going to happen?"

Harry just finished his explanation, when Madam Pomfrey strode into the room and instructed the Aurors to leave.

Looking at the angered Healer, the Aurors quickly thanked Dumbledore and Harry and hurried out of the room. Dumbledore lowered himself onto a chair next to Harry's bed and asked, "Poppy, what exactly is wrong with Harry?"

Harry sighed inwardly and averted his eyes to his bed cover, feeling very annoyed by the unwanted attention.

"His headache seems to have gone, but his temperature is still slightly elevated, and he seems to have a problem with his nerves. I don't know exactly what it is, but I don't like it."

Harry gave her an enquiring look. "Don't you have the Anti-Cruciatus-Potion yet in this time?" he asked in disbelief.

Poppy and Dumbledore exchanged a glance before Dumbledore asked, "What exactly is this potion, Harry?"

Harry sighed and explained, "The Anti-Cruciatus-Potion counters the effects of the Cruciatus curse. When I have these visions, I can't only see and hear what Voldemort and his Death Eaters do and say, but I can sense his emotions and feel every curse he casts on people. Unfortunately, he enjoys the Cruciatus curse very much, and I often have to suffer from it. Tonight, he cast it about eight times, each of them for a minute or two. It'll wear off in a day or so, but in my time, Professor Snape always made this potion for me. It's probably his own invention."

Dumbledore gave Harry a sharp look. "I don't think that it is already invented in this time. However, we can ask Severus. If he doesn't know it, do you, by chance, know how to brew it?"

Harry slowly exhaled the air. "I probably know the ingredients, because it was in my sixth year Potions book, but I don't know how to make it. Severus is so good at Potions though; I'm sure he'll be able to brew it."

Dumbledore chuckled as he commented, "You seem to have a lot of faith in Severus."

"Yes Professor. Even if he really hated me in my time, he managed to save my life several times," Harry said quietly.

"Very well then," Dumbledore replied and called his personal house-elf. "Twinkle!" When the house-elf appeared next to him, he said gently, "Twinkle, please go and bring Severus Snape to us immediately."

Shortly later, the elf re-appeared together with a very annoyed looking Severus.

"Ah, my boy, how good that you can join us. Thank you Twinkle. Severus, have you ever heard of the Anti-Cruciatus Potion?"

"No sir. Should I know it?" Severus replied in surprise, raising an eyebrow at the Headmaster.

"According to Harry, you invented it. We just don't know exactly when," Dumbledore said gently.

"So you woke me up and brought me here in the middle of the night just to invent a potion, which I've never heard of?" Severus asked in disbelief, throwing Dumbledore and Harry a confused glare. He seemed quite annoyed, but when Dumbledore told him about Harry's vision and his suffering of the Cruciatus curse, he was suddenly fully awake and in Potions Master mode. He sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "Alright Harry, tell me everything that you know about it. Professors, you can leave us alone; this will probably take a while."

Harry looked at the Headmaster in exasperation and asked incredulously, "Professor, I'm fine. It's nearly three o'clock in the morning. Don't you think Severus should go to sleep first? We can try to brew the potion after classes tomorrow."

"No Harry, we'll do it immediately. Just tell me as much as you know, and I'll try to brew your potion," Severus said firmly.

"All right my boys," Dumbledore looked at them contentedly, his eyes twinkling merrily. "You'll both be excused from classes tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning. Good night Poppy."

"Severus, you know my Potions abilities; so you can't rely on what I tell you," Harry said hesitantly, before he continued, "As far as I remember from a glance in my sixth year's Potions book, you need the normal basic healing potion as basis and have to add petals of the Syrian wildfire, cumberflow, lace fly wings, four drops of Jojoba oil and one drop of phoenix tear extract. That's all I know. I don't know how to brew it."

"That's all right, Harry; just with the ingredients you told me you helped me a lot. Now go to sleep for a few hours. I'll try to brew the potion. Would you recognize it by the smell or the colour, or would you have to taste it to know if it was correct?"

Harry groaned. "Oh, Severus, don't ask me. You know that I'm a dunderhead at Potions. If it's very different, I'll probably know, but if it's similar, I'm not sure if I can tell the difference."

'_Professor Dumbledore is a meddling old coot_,' he thought. '_It would be early enough if Severus brewed the potion for me in the morning. I couldn't imagine brewing a potion at that time of the night._'

Three hours later, Severus returned with three phials of potions, woke Harry up, and asked, "Can you recognize any of these?"

Harry sat up and looked sharply at each of the phials, noticing that the three liquids looked nearly identically. He sniffed at each of them, before he pointed to one of the potions, which had a slightly lighter yellow tone than the others and said, "I think it could be this one. Let me try."

"Only if you're relatively sure, Harry; otherwise I don't want you to try, although it can't do much harm considering the ingredients," Severus replied thoughtfully.

Harry took the phial from his friend, gulped half of the liquid down, and visibly relaxed. "That's it. Thank you so much, Severus. I knew that you'd manage to brew it," he said gratefully.

Severus threw Harry a relieved smile and lay down on the bed next to him. "Let's try to get some more sleep, Harry; good night," he whispered, but Harry was already asleep.

However, only a few minutes later, Harry was pulled out of his sleep by a sharp pain in his scar.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments!_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Harry noticed immediately that Voldemort was extremely angry. '_Probably because of the unsuccessful attack on Diagon Alley last night_,' he thought when he was pulled into another vision.

Surrounded by Death Eaters, he heard himself speak, "My most faithful servants of my inner circle, the time has come to question if you're really as faithful as I always believed. How could the Aurors know about our plan to have our Halloween feast at Diagon Alley last night? The only reason, which I can imagine, is that we have a spy in our midst."

The Death Eaters bowed deeply, before one of them, whom Harry couldn't recognize because he was wearing a hood, said firmly, "My Lord, I have no idea how the Aurors could know about your plans, but I can't imagine having a spy here in our inner circle. Maybe one of the others left earlier yesterday, after the attack was announced. He would have had time enough to warn the Aurors."

"Impossible, Malfoy. I put the Anti-Apparition wards up yesterday, so that no one could get away. Crucio." Malfoy let out painful moans, and Harry heard himself continue, "Nott. What is your theory?"

"My Lord, I don't know. But it can't be any of these members. We know each other too well," another Death Eater replied, once again bowing deeply.

"Hopefully. Crucio. Avery, come here. Who could have alerted the Aurors?" Harry hissed.

"My Lord, I really have no idea. But don't you have a spy in the Ministry, who might be able to retrieve the information?"

"I don't have a spy with the Aurors. Crucio. Crabbe and Goyle, do you have a reasonable explanation for me?"

"No, my Lord, I'm sorry."

"My Lord, I have no idea. Sorry."

"Sorry is not enough. Crucio. Crucio. I expect better from all of you. I am very disappointed. You're dismissed."

Harry woke up, groaned and got sick all over the bed, just when Dumbledore strayed into the Hospital Wing, rushing over to his bedside. "Harry! What happened? Did you have another vision?"

Harry let out a long sigh and explained, "He is just very disappointed about the failed attack last night and was torturing the Death Eaters of his inner circle. That means Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Avery."

"Do you often have these visions?" Dumbledore asked gently, thoughtfully stroking his long beard.

"Quite often," Harry admitted. "Voldemort was gone until about fifteen months before I came here; therefore, I only had them during these fifteen months. Yesterday was the first time since I came to this time. Halloween seems to be special for Tom."

"So you always spend a lot of time here in the hospital wing." It was more a conclusion than a question.

However, Harry answered, "Unfortunately yes. In my time, I even had my own bed here, although I absolutely hate being here." He took the still half-full phial from his night table, gulped it down and visibly relaxed.

"Is that the potion, which Severus made for you?" the headmaster enquired gently.

"Yes Professor. Did I not tell you that he is the best Potions Master of Britain in my time?" Harry replied, glancing at Severus, who was still peacefully asleep in the bed next to him.

"And I still can manage to keep him as our Potions Professor?" Dumbledore asked in surprise, his eyes twinkling happily when Harry nodded. '_Certain information I'll have to put into my Pensieve before being obliviated_,' Dumbledore thought to himself and said aloud, "I will get Madam Pomfrey to check on you. Afterwards, we can have breakfast together. There are a few things I would like to talk about with you, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, Professor," Harry replied in surprise.

Madam Pomfrey checked on Harry, clucking disapprovingly, before she turned to Dumbledore. "No, Albus. You can't take Mr. Pane with you. His temperature is as high as it was last night, and his scar still seems to be infected. Come back after breakfast if you really need to speak with him. If nothing else happens, I'm going to release him before dinner."

"Then I'll be back in thirty minutes. I want to talk to Harry, and after the events of the night I'm afraid that it can't wait."

The Healer made Harry drink a few potions, bandaged his head and made him eat a small breakfast, which he finished just in time for Dumbledore's return.

"Harry, when we talked in your dormitory last night, you said something about a certain 'Order of the Phoenix,' is that right?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Seeing Harry nod affirmatively, he continued, "I have never heard about this Order. Could you give me some information, please?"

Harry looked at the Headmaster in confusion. '_What does that mean?_' he wondered. '_The Order is Dumbledore's organization, isn't it?_' He thoughtfully cleared his throat and said, "That is surprising. I thought you would know all about it. The Order of the Phoenix is an organisation of the light side, founded by you, and the members are mostly former students of Hogwarts, whom you trust, like for example the Weasleys."

Dumbledore smiled at the boy and said in determination, "Then I believe that it is time to found this Order. Why is it called the Order of the Phoenix?"

Harry let out a sigh. "I'm not sure, because I'm not yet a member of it. You and especially Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley always insisted that I could only become a member after my graduation of Hogwarts. As far as I have heard, the name was chosen for two reasons. One has to do with the procedure of people entering the Order for the first time. I think Fawkes has to approve them. Maybe he knows more about it; I'm not sure if this was his idea or yours. The second reason is that you use the phoenix symbol for the Order and also for fast communication. But I don't know exactly how it works."

"Fine Harry; thank you so much for sharing this valuable information with me. Now, where and when does the Order meet?" Dumbledore queried.

"At my time they meet at Sirius' house, the old Black house. It is under the Fidelius Charm and you're the Secret Keeper, but as far as I know, before moving to the Black house, the Order met at Hogwarts, maybe in your office or somewhere. You use to call the Order whenever there is need, whenever Voldemort is attacking somewhere, or when people of the Order have to guard something or someone for some reason."

Dumbledore nodded pensively. "Very well, Harry; that will do for the beginning. One last question though. Do you know how many members the Order had in your time?"

Harry let out a thoughtful sigh, before he slowly replied, "No. I know about twenty of them, but there might be about fifty; some of them are not so active members. I'm not sure. Do you want me to tell you the names of the Order members I know?"

"Yes please; that would be very helpful. The full names please," Dumbledore replied eagerly.

"Albus Dumbledore as the boss, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, I'm not sure if Madam Pomfrey is a member but I think so, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Lily Evans. Not in my time of course because they were dead, but before they died. Peter Pettigrew was in the Order too at that time but was a Death Eater, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley and all of their children, Agatha Longbottom, Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice, who are in St. Mungo's at my time. Some Aurors like Mad Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks; her mother was in the order too, I think, and Arabella Figg. The parents of James Potter were probably Order members too. Sorry Professor; that's all I can come up with now. But if you ask me about certain persons, I might be able to tell you about them."

"All right Harry, thank you very much. I'll have a talk with Fawkes and... Who do you think would be my second hand in this Order?"

"Professor McGonagall. She is your second-in-command in everything, Sir."

"Then I'll speak with her as well," Dumbledore said gently. "Maybe one of us will come and ask more questions later on. Now try to rest for a while."

Harry laughed. "I don't mind being asked questions. I'm glad to be able to help. Just please don't tell anyone except for Professor McGonagall about me; I really don't want any more attention than I already get anyway," he added pleadingly.

Dumbledore was just on his way out of the hospital wing, when Harry called him back. "I'm sorry Professor; I forgot to tell you something. As I told you earlier, Voldemort initiated several new Death Eaters last night, and I recognized a few of them. They were Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle and Pettigrew."

Dumbledore's face paled visibly. "Peter Pettigrew? Are you sure?"

"Yes Professor, I'm one hundred percent sure," Harry said in a grave voice.

When Dumbledore left, Harry glanced around, noticing that Madam Pomfrey was not in sight. He scrambled out of his bed and left the hospital wing as fast and quietly as he could, before he ran up to Gryffindor Tower. Fortunately, he didn't meet anyone in his pyjamas and with the bandage around his head, because the second class of the day had just begun. He pulled a robe over his pyjamas, fetched his Potions book, parchment and a quill and made his way back to the hospital wing to look through the Potions book and take a few notes, before Severus was going to wake up.

Only two hours later, Severus came over and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Before he could say or ask anything, Harry grinned and whispered, "Watch Pomfrey without attracting attention; as soon as she's out of sight let's get out of here."

Severus raised an eyebrow at his friend and queried, "Are you all right? Did she release you already?"

"No, but she said she'd release me before dinner, so I'll be fine," Harry reassured him, smirking.

"And where are we going to go?" Severus asked in surprise. "The Potions classroom is still being used at this time of the day."

Harry hadn't considered that. "Um… we could go to the Room of Requirement," he suggested, carefully glancing around. "Come on, Severus. She's not here, and the last morning classes have just begun, so let's go."

They ran up to the seventh floor, where Harry paced in front of the Room of Requirement, thinking, '_We need a Potions laboratory together with two comfortable chairs_,' until a door appeared in front of him.

Severus let his eyes wander around the room in amazement. "Wow. What is this place?"

"The room is called the 'Room of Requirement'. You have to pace outside three times and wish for a room you need, and it appears. I've been using it quite often in the future. Look, there are shelves with the mostly-used ingredients and everything that we need to brew potions."

Harry flopped on one of the comfortable looking sofas and called his friend over. "Let's sit down and talk first. What are we going to do? I thought that I could make a list of the potions, especially healing potions, which you still didn't invent. Maybe that sounds a bit crazy, but you invented many really useful potions like, for example, the Wolfsbane Potion."

Severus gave Harry an amused look. "You mean you're going to teach me Potions?" he sneered.

Harry glared at his friend in annoyance. "Of course not; but last night, it really helped me a lot that you could brew the potion for me. I used the second half of it this morning." Ignoring Severus' horrified look, he continued, "I thought that I could just tell you about potions, which are very useful in my time, even if I don't know the ingredients, so that you could invent them earlier than you would do otherwise in order to help others in this time. There is also the possibility that you only invented them in the future because I told you about it in this time. Oh, I don't know anymore." He sat back and closed his eyes. His head hurt, and he was getting tired. '_But it's so much fun to work together with Severus; it is as if Severus' enthusiasm for Potions was contagious_,' he mused.

"All right; I think your idea is not bad," Severus relented thoughtfully. "You mentioned a potion before, the Wolfsbane potion. What exactly is it?"

"The Wolfsbane potion helps a werewolf to keep his mind during the full moon. He still changes into the werewolf form, but he is coherent. When Remus was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts in my time, he didn't have to go to the Shrieking Shack to transform but could stay in this office. But it takes about a day to brew, has to be brewed freshly every month, and it's said to be one of the most difficult potions to brew," Harry explained patiently. '_Do I have to teach everyone in this time?_' he thought tiredly, '_The Headmaster about the Order, Severus about Potions?_'

They talked about several potions that could be invented, before Severus began to try brewing some of them. Harry helped, busily chopping many different ingredients. They managed to brew the Anti-Cruciatus potion once again, and Severus promised to leave it in the stock of the hospital wing.

"That should be enough for today; let's go to the Great Hall for dinner," Severus said satisfied as he waved his wand to clean up his work space.

"All right, Severus. I'm going to return to my dormitory though; I'm tired and not hungry anyway," Harry said in a small voice, wanting nothing more than to sleep and forget his headache.

Severus glared at him. "You're going to get yourself in even more trouble than you're already in, especially with Madam Pomfrey; you know that, don't you?"

Harry smirked. "I don't care. If anyone comes looking for me, I'll already be asleep."

Severus couldn't help laughing. "You're incredible. By the way, do you want me to take your head bandage off, or do you prefer to leave it as it is?"

Harry shot him a terrified look, groaning. "Oh Merlin, I completely forgot about that. Thanks for telling me. Could you please take it off?"

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

Dinner had already commenced when Severus slipped into a seat at the Slytherin table. His classmates immediately questioned him, "Slughorn told us that you had to stay in the hospital wing. Are you all right?"

"Yes. I didn't have to stay there; I only had to sleep, because I had to spend the night brewing a potion for Dumbledore," Severus answered in a very annoyed voice and finished his dinner quickly. However, before he could leave the Great Hall, Dumbledore called him over to the Head Table.

"Mr. Snape, did you by chance spend the afternoon together with Mr. Pane?" the Headmaster queried in a stern voice.

"Yes Professor, we did some potions research until dinner. With Harry's help, I managed to brew another new potion for the hospital wing, and I've got the ideas for a few more Healing potions," Severus replied eagerly, ignoring the glares, which he received from Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.

"As commendable as this may be, and I am very proud of the two of you, my boy, Harry is really in trouble now," the Headmaster said gravely. "He escaped from the hospital wing, although Madam Pomfrey didn't release him yet, and he missed lunch and dinner. Do you by any chance know where he might be now?"

"He told me that he was tired and would go back to his dormitory. I'm sorry, Professor, for not keeping him out of trouble."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he replied, "That, my dear boy, seems to be impossible."

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

It was nearly seven o'clock, when Lily arrived for their Potions tutoring lessons, giving Severus a questioning look when Harry didn't show up.

"Hi Severus. Where is Harry?" she asked softly.

"Hello Lily. He won't be coming tonight. He was tired and went to bed," Severus explained, sighing. "He probably completely forgot about our tutoring. But we can still brew a potion together. I promised Madam Pomfrey to make a batch of headache potions for the hospital wing; would you be interested to assist?"

"Of course, if you tell me what I have to do," Lily said eagerly. "You know that I'm not better at Potions than Harry."

Severus smirked. "I've already laid out the ingredients. Would you mind preparing them and trying to hand them to me in the correct order, in which I have to add them?"

"Is that the potion that we brewed at the end of last year?" Lily asked thoughtfully, closely examining the ingredients.

"Exactly."

While they were waiting for the potion to simmer for the last few minutes, Lily summoned all her courage and, averting her eyes to the floor, asked, "Severus, um... at dinner, when Professor Dumbledore announced the Hogsmeade weekend for the day after tomorrow, I thought that it might be nice, if we could go there together, you, Harry, and me. What do you think?" '_Oh, I can't believe it. I did it. I asked him_,' she thought, slowly looking up to meet his eyes. One of his rare smiles was playing on his lips.

"Of course Lily, I'd love that, and I'm sure that Harry would like it too. We have to tell him tomorrow," he replied in a soft voice.

"Are we going to do our Animagus practice without Harry, or should we wait for him?" Lily queried, eager to finally manage the transformation.

"I think we could practise without him. He told me today that he already managed to change his whole body except for his head. As far as I know, he's practising with the Marauders every night."

"All right then, let's go on. May I have a go first?"

While the two sixth years were practising the Animagus transformation, a very upset Head of Gryffindor entered the common room to look for Harry.

_tbc..._

_Thank you very much for your kind comments. I really appreciate them!_


	7. Chapter 7

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Most of the Gryffindors were studying or talking in the Common Room, when Professor McGonagall suddenly climbed through the portrait hole. Instantly, the room turned quiet, and everyone turned their eyes towards their Head of House. She sternly let her eyes wander around the room, before she said crisply, "Everything is all right, students; go on with what you were doing. Mr. Lupin, could you please get Mr. Pane for me. He should be in your dormitory."

A few minutes later, Remus returned without Harry. "I'm sorry Professor, but he is fast asleep and I can't wake him up. Do you need to speak with him urgently?"

The Scottish Lioness let out a long sigh. "It's all right, Mr. Lupin. Thank you. I will try to wake him up myself," the teacher replied, heading towards the sixth year boys' dormitory.

"Mr. Pane!" she called Harry several times, frowning when the boy showed no reaction at all. "Mr. Potter!" she finally tried, causing Harry to blink.

"Hmm? Go' way, m'tired," he mumbled sleepily, apparently unaware of whom he was talking to.

"Mr. Pane!" McGonagall said, slowly getting angry. "You won't be any more tired upon realising just how much trouble you are in."

Harry lazily opened his eyes and blinked at the teacher, who was glaring daggers at him. "I'm sorry, Professor; what's wrong? Am I not allowed to sleep?"

"No, Mr. Pane. You will get up and accompany to the hospital wing, where you will apologize to Madam Pomfrey for running away and for skipping two meals. She told me that she gave you very clear instructions not to miss any meals. Afterwards, you will let her check on you and properly release you. Finally, we have to meet the Headmaster. He went to see you in the afternoon, because he wanted to talk to you, but since he couldn't find you where you were supposed to be, I'm afraid you'll have to answer his questions now, even if you're tired. Come along, Mr. Pane."

Harry groaned inwardly; however, realising that the professor was already very upset, he didn't dare contradicting. Madam Pomfrey was even angrier. She made him drink a nutrient potion and told him strictly, "You are not to skip meals. From now on, Professor McGonagall and I are going to watch you at every mealtime. If you miss a meal or do not eat properly, I'll be expecting you here half an hour before curfew. Since you missed two meals today, you are to come here tomorrow evening for the second nutrient Potion. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Ma'am," Harry replied obediently. '_Do they always have to make such a fuss?_' he thought, rolling his eyes in absolute annoyance.

"Moreover, I will not have you releasing yourself from my wing," the Mediwitch continued sternly. "It is up to me to decide if you are well enough or not, and you were clearly not well enough when you decided to leave. You're still running a temperature, and you're much more tired than you should be at seven o'clock in the evening. Therefore, you have to take it easy for a few days. I want you to refrain from playing Quidditch for a week. Instead, you will lie on your bed and rest during Quidditch practice."

Now fully awake, Harry glared at the Mediwitch. "That's not reasonable; that's just punishment, isn't it?" he complained in an upset voice.

Pomfrey was still angry. "No, Mr. Pane, it is not, and if I hear that you do not comply, I am going to keep you here, until I am convinced that you're mature enough to properly look after yourself."

McGonagall frowned at Harry. "Watch your tongue, Mr. Pane. You can deem yourself very lucky; if I had to decide on your punishment for your misbehaviour, I'd have banned you from the coming Hogsmeade weekend as well. And now apologize to Madam Pomfrey. The Headmaster is waiting for us," she said sharply.

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said obediently, sighing inwardly. '_McGonagall is even stricter than in my own time, but why is she so overprotective?_' he wondered.

The matron threw him a glare. "Try to behave better in the future, Mr. Pane."

Intensely watching a spot behind the window on the opposite side of the room, Harry decided not to reply.

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Harry and his Head of House quietly walked towards the Headmaster's office, before Harry sighed and asked in apparent annoyance, "I guess I have to apologize to Professor Dumbledore as well?"

McGonagall glared at him. "That would be appropriate. He went to see you, but you weren't there, and nobody knew where to find you. Don't you think he was worried about you? Fortunately, he knew that Severus would probably be with you, but still he was very concerned, especially after what happened yesterday evening and this morning," she explained in a slightly softer voice.

'_Oops, they are really more bothersome than in the future_,' Harry thought, torn between annoyance and amazement, because it sounded as if they really cared about him and not only about his scar. To his surprise, the gargoyle opened on 'Phoenix feathers'. '_Wow; that's something else for a change_,' Harry thought, chuckling.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, for not being where I was supposed to be when you were looking for me. Did you have any more questions about the Order?" he said as soon as he entered the round Headmaster's office.

"No, my dear boy, please sit down," the Headmaster replied gently, offering his visitors a lemon drop.

"No thank you," Harry and McGonagall declined politely.

"I was only looking for you to ask you to come here after you were released. Fawkes told me that he knows quite a few things about the Order of the Phoenix, and I thought we might hear together what he has to say."

"Albus, do you mind us having a cup of tea while we talk to Fawkes?" McGonagall enquired.

"Of course not Minerva; that's a good idea," Dumbledore replied and called his house-elf, "Twinkle! Tea and a few biscuits please. Thank you, Twinkle."

A minute later, tea and biscuits arrived on a big silver plate in front of them, and McGonagall poured the tea into three cups. "Very well then, let us commence," Dumbledore said, sounding very eager. "As you know, Harry, only I can understand Fawkes, so I will repeat everything he says for you and Professor McGonagall."

"All right Professor." Harry turned his eyes to the bird, curious to hear what Fawkes might have to say.

"Fawkes, can you tell me anything about the Order of the Phoenix?" the Headmaster queried gently.

#Of course Albi. I can fill many parchments. If you put them one over another, they will be as high as your beard is long,# Fawkes trilled, fluffing his feathers.

Albus interpreted for Professor McGonagall and Harry, "Of course, I can write many parchments, even books about it."

Harry stared at Fawkes. '_I'm not supposed to understand him, but I can. Am I dreaming?_'

"Harry? Is everything all right?" McGonagall asked in concern, pulling him back to reality.

"Yes of course," Harry replied absentmindedly.

"All right Fawkes; please tell us about the Order as detailed and understandable as possible," Dumbledore asked his familiar, who was busily picking at the phoenix treats that Twinkle had brought for him a few minutes ago.

#I could. But I am not sure if I'd really should,# Fawkes trilled back.

"I would love to," the Headmaster translated, looking sternly at the bird.

Harry was still staring at Fawkes. '_He seems funny but not very obedient_,' he thought in amusement.

#The Order of the Phoenix was founded by your and Harry's great, great, many times removed grandfather, you know, the big purple grumpy bearded one.#

"The Order of the Phoenix was founded by the great Merlin."

#By now the Order has been re-founded as many times as your dear Minnie is old#.

"By now, the Order has been re-founded fifty-six times."

Harry had to try hard not to laugh at Fawkes' antics. He efficiently managed to hide a chuckle behind a yawn.

#Every time a bad one comes and needs his wings clipped, the Order is re-founded.#

"Every time an evil person comes and starts a war, the Order is re-founded."

Dumbledore remained pensive for a moment, before he asked, "But Fawkes, what about the time when we fought Grindelwald? There was no Order!"

Fawkes chuckled. #Of course there was. But every time the bad egg is removed, everyone's head is filled with feathers, so that they forget about the Order, a method to save it from all the other meddling old coots.#

"Oh yes, there was. But every time the threat is gone, everyone is obliviated concerning the Order, a method to save it from any negative influences. That must be the reason why I don't remember anything about it. So how do we proceed in order to re-found the Order of the Phoenix this time?"

#You choose your chicks, choose your nest, fix a time, and I will play the nice birdie and do the work for you.#

"You choose the members, choose the meeting place, fix a time, and I will be there and do what is necessary. Fawkes, are they any limits in the number of members?"

#Only as many as there are rats in this castle, please.#

"No."

Harry once again had to hide a laugh behind a huge yawn, before he looked apologetically at the Headmaster.

"All right, thank you Fawkes," Dumbledore said gently. "It seems that Mr. Pane is too tired to continue our conversation tonight; it's nearly curfew anyway. I believe we should meet here again tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I'll try to speak to several of the people, whom Mr. Pane mentioned to me this morning, and maybe we should try to hold our first Order meeting on Sunday evening after dinner. Will tomorrow evening be all right with you, Minerva, Harry?"

Harry smirked. "Of course, Professor."

"Yes Albus. At what time do you want us to come?"

"Directly after dinner," the Headmaster replied, casting his Deputy a surprised look.

"No Albus. Mr. Pane, until what time does your Quidditch training normally last?" McGonagall asked sternly.

Harry glared at McGonagall. "Until about nine," he replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm sorry Albus, but we can't meet until after nine o'clock. Harry has been suspended from Quidditch for a week and has been instructed by Poppy to spend the practice time in bed."

Dumbledore chuckled, causing the Scottish lioness to glare at him. "That is nothing to laugh about, Albus. It's not funny," she scolded him in a stern voice.

"Very well then, we'll meet here at nine o'clock tomorrow evening. Good night, Minerva, Harry."

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The next day began bright and sunny. Harry was just eating breakfast together with the Marauders when Lily came and took a seat next to him.

"Good morning, Harry. You went to bed very early yesterday. We missed you at our Potions tutoring," she said softly.

Harry let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Lily. I should have attended Potions tutoring. McGonagall pulled me out of bed and into some sort of detention with Pomfrey and then to a meeting with her and Dumbledore because I escaped from the hospital wing yesterday," he admitted in a small voice.

"What?" Sirius laughed from across the table.

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot. Um... James?" Harry asked hesitantly. Seeing that the other boy looked at him in expectation, Harry continued, "I'm sorry, but Pomfrey suspended me from Quidditch for the whole week."

James looked at him, clearly shocked. "All right, it doesn't really matter; you're very good anyway, and you don't need the practice as much as others, but why in the world would she do that?"

Harry averted his eyes to the floor as he mumbled, "Punishment for running away from the hospital wing."

Sirius and James roared with laughter, while Remus contradicted sternly, "No Harry, I don't think that it's only punishment. They are really worried about you. McGonagall summoned me before breakfast and asked me to keep a close eye on you and to stay in the dormitory with you during Quidditch practice."

Harry jumped up from his seat, glaring at his friend. "Thank you very much, Remus, but I'm not an infant, and I don't need a babysitter." He turned around to leave the Great Hall in a huff, but felt himself being pushed back to his seat by Lily and Remus.

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"So, are you ready for Transfiguration? I heard we'll be transfiguring rabbits again. Why does she like them so much? Why not cats?" Lily efficiently tried to change the topic.

Harry looked at her in horror. "Transfiguring rabbits again? I thought we were done with that!"

"No; Severus told me the Slytherins had to transfigure rabbits again, and then change the pink rabbits into green ones. Are you all right, Harry?" she asked in concern, noticing that Harry's face had turned completely white. "Do you have problems with rabbits?"

Harry groaned. "Yes, I don't know why, but I think I'm allergic to rabbits."

"Are you sure?" James asked suspiciously.

'_No, but after the stunt I did yesterday I don't want to attract any attention today_,' Harry thought in annoyance, before he said aloud, "Anyway, let's go."

Twenty minutes later, Harry was sitting in the transfiguration classroom between Remus and Lily, looking at a brown button with his wand still in his pocket. He tried to imagine, '_just one cute pink rabbit..._'

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments - I really appreciate them. Sorry for the delay._


	8. Chapter 8

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Harry stared at the table in front of him, trying not to panic at the thought of transfiguring the button. He blinked, and all of a sudden, just one small rabbit was sitting in front of him.

"Nice wandless Transfiguration," Remus commended him from his right side, causing Harry to cast him a terrified look.

"Just shut up or I'm going to kill you," he whispered back. He wished the rabbit to become green, causing the small animal's colour to change. '_Wow, that worked_,' he thought in disbelief, looking up in surprise upon hearing his name.

"Well done Ms. Evans and Mr. Pane," Professor McGonagall commended them, nodding contentedly as she walked through the classroom.

During the rest of the class, Harry did all his Transfiguration tasks wandlessly, feeling incredibly relieved when he managed to get through the class without attracting attention.

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After lunch, Severus waited for Harry in the entrance hall, so that they could walk to the dungeons together. "Harry, did Lily tell you about the conversation that we had last night?" Severus queried as they entered the Potions classroom. "We decided to go to Hogsmeade together."

"You're going to go to Hogsmeade with Lily? Wow, that's great. When is the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Harry asked, trying to feign enthusiasm, while his mind screamed, '_Oh no! Lily has to get together with James, doesn't she?_'

"Lily and I?" Severus queried in disbelief, rolling his eyes. "No, you, and Lily and I of course, and the next Hogsmeade visit will be tomorrow. You're supposed to come with us." Severus gave Harry a sharp look.

Harry sighed. "Of course I'd love to go, provided that McGonagall won't punish me for anything today. Last night, she threatened to suspend me from the next Hogsmeade visit because I released myself from the hospital wing yesterday."

Severus chuckled. "You really would have deserved it, but she didn't, right?"

"No, but I'm suspended from Quidditch for a week," Harry mumbled, feeling absolutely annoyed at the thought of not being able to attend practice with his father and his friends.

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After dinner, Harry spent two hours in the dormitory, feeling like a small child being babysat by Remus. When he took parchment and a quill out of his school bag, Remus immediately admonished him, "Harry, you know as well as I do that you're supposed to lie down and rest, not to study. But if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you."

Harry sighed in annoyance but grudgingly put everything away, throwing his friend a curious look. "What did you want to speak about?" he asked softly, making himself comfortable on his bed.

"Concerning your problems with rabbits and wandless magic," his friend replied thoughtfully.

Harry groaned inwardly. "All right; I have a problem. I can't transfigure a plush rabbit into just one live rabbit. Once I got about fifty rabbits, the next time three, and I don't know why. The only thing I know is that I don't want to attract attention. At my old school, I was the focus of attention all the time, and I really hated it. Today, I didn't really try, and I didn't even take my wand out, because I was afraid of the consequences. It was just by chance that I succeeded."

"Well, I'm not sure if it was really by chance. When was your sixteenth birthday?" Remus asked, smirking.

"On July 31st," Harry replied, recalling that he had arrived at the beginning of September, just about when he had left in his own time. '_It's as easy to talk to Remus as it was in my own time_,' he thought, surprised that he didn't mind speaking about his problems with the other boy.

Remus thought for a moment. "Did you say you were raised by Muggles?"

"Yes," Harry replied, looking at his friend in surprise.

"Then you might not be aware of this, but a wizard's magic reaches a new level of development when he turns sixteen. Your magic seems to have become very strong when you became sixteen, and you're still not able to properly control it," Remus explained patiently. "If you use your wand summoning the same amount of magic as you did earlier this morning, the spell will become too strong because of your stronger magic. I suggest that you speak with Professor McGonagall about the problem and ask her for a few extra lessons in order to get your huge amount of magic under control. Otherwise, it could become very dangerous for you as well as for others."

Harry was outright shocked. "Thank you, Remus," he stammered, "I didn't know that. I have a meeting with McGonagall and Dumbledore at nine o'clock, and then I'll talk to them. But please do me a favour and don't tell anybody about it, and about the wandless magic either." He unconsciously rubbed his forehead against the headache that was building up behind his temples. '_Will the professors be able to help me?_' he thought in concern.

"Harry, I give you my word; I won't tell anyone," Remus reassured him, and Harry knew that he could rely on his friend's promise.

"Thank you, Remus. All right then; I'll use the remaining ninety minutes to work on my Animagus Transformation if you don't mind. I want to be able to finally have a phoenix head to go along with my phoenix body," he replied, smirking.

Remus frowned. "I don't mind, although I know that the teachers wouldn't like it. But go ahead; I won't tell anyone."

After an hour of intensive practice, Harry finally succeeded and saw himself in the mirror as a beautiful white phoenix with pretty, green wings on both sides. He did a few uncertain steps on his bird's feet, before he flapped his wings a few times and finally managed to fly over to Remus' bed and back to his own.

Remus looked at the beautiful bird in amazement. "Wow Harry, that's brilliant. You can't imagine how I envy you."

'_That's really cool_,' Harry thought happily. He changed back and forth several times, until he was able to transform very quickly. He was just sitting on the windowsill in his phoenix form, watching the Quidditch practice outside, when all of a sudden the dormitory door opened and McGonagall entered the room.

"Mr. Pane, please accompany me to the Headmaster's office," the teacher said, before her eyes fell on Harry's empty bed.

"Oh, Harry just went to the toilet," Remus lied quickly.

She gave him a sharp look, deciding, "Then I will wait for him."

'Oh no, what am I going to do? She won't give up easily,' Harry thought, trying not to panic. '_I have to flash to the toilet.'_ With a splash of ice, the phoenix disappeared.

McGonagall turned her head, looking over to the window. "What was that?" she asked crisply.

"What was what, Professor?" Remus asked innocently, following his teacher's gaze.

"I don't know; it was like a white flash," the teacher replied, unintentionally thinking aloud, '_Am I imagining things? Maybe I'm going to be sick. Thank Merlin it's the weekend_.' Then she advised Remus, "Please tell Mr. Potter... no, Mr. Pane of course, to come to the Headmaster's office as soon as he returns. Thank you." With another confused glance in the direction of the window she left the room.

Harry arrived at the washroom without problems, quickly transformed back to his human form, and left the room, bumping into the professor on his way up the stairs.

"Sorry Professor, I just had to go to the toilet," he told the teacher.

"No problem, Mr. Pane. Go and put your robes on. Professor Dumbledore is waiting for us."

On their way to the Headmaster's office, they made a short detour to the hospital wing to get Harry's nutrient potion. Feeling absolutely annoyed, Harry thought about just flashing away but dismissed the thought quickly as he still didn't want his secret to be discovered by the teachers.

Once again, they learned from Fawkes about the Order of the Phoenix. Fawkes seemed to sense that Harry was able to understand him and was trying his best to make Harry laugh. '_Maybe he can sense the phoenix in me_,' Harry thought, giving Fawkes a threatening glare.

After about an hour of lecture from Fawkes, Dumbledore finally announced, "That will do for tonight. I invited ten people, whom I know very well, for Sunday evening. Harry, I'm very sorry; I'd like to have you here as well, but as you know I can't admit students under age, and friends like the Potters would be very astonished if you were here and their son wasn't invited."

"I can fully understand that, and I don't have a problem with it, Professor," Harry truthfully reassured the Headmaster.

McGonagall smiled at Harry. "Since you're our advisor in this matter together with Fawkes, you can be sure that we'll inform you about the outcome of the meeting as soon as possible. In fact, this should be on Monday at the same time as today I suppose. I will come and fetch you again."

'_And I will have a way to observe your meeting anyway_,' Harry thought, smirking.

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At three o'clock in the morning, Harry woke up and spent some time musing about the events of the evening. Deciding to speak with Fawkes about the Order meeting, he quietly scrambled out of his bed and quickly transformed into his phoenix form, before he flashed into Dumbledore's office, sitting down next to Fawkes on his perch. Fawkes nearly fell off the perch, startled at the sudden appearance of another phoenix, especially in the middle of the night.

#Fawkes, can you hear me?# phoenix Harry asked, absentmindedly beginning to clean his white feathers.

#Hello Icicle. Yes, of course I can. Who are you, and what are you doing here?# Fawkes queried.

#Please Fawkes, can you promise me not to tell Dumbledore?# Harry cast the older phoenix a pleading look.

#I promise,# Fawkes replied, chuckling.

#I'm Harry.#

#I thought so,# Fawkes said in apparent appreciation. #Good, very good. I haven't seen an ice phoenix Animagus since the big purple grumpy bearded one, not even a phoenix at all except for Albus, but he's a fire phoenix. Congratulations, Icicle!#

#Thanks. What I wanted to ask is if I can come on Sunday evening to watch the Order meeting?# Harry asked quickly.

#Of course you may visit me. I'll introduce you as my friend Icicle, and you may come to all the Order meetings. Just flash here like you did tonight.#

#So you're Fireflight or what?#

#Correct.# Fawkes grinning motioning for Harry to help himself to a phoenix treat.

Harry hesitantly followed the invitation. #That was delicious,# he said in surprise at how tasty the treat was. #Okay, I'll flash back now, thanks Fireflight. Good night.#

#'Night Icicle.#

Harry flashed back straight into his bed, but as soon as he transformed back into his human form, an idea struck his mind. '_Why shouldn't I try to fly for a while?_' he mused. He changed back immediately, trying to view the Quidditch pitch in his head. With a white splash of ice, he flashed out on the grounds. Harry took a deep breath, enjoying how warm the air of the icy November night felt to his thick feathers. He flapped his wings and started to fly around the Quidditch pitch and even over the Forbidden Forest. '_This is absolutely amazing_,' he thought happily.

Harry enjoyed himself so much that he didn't realize how the time passed, and suddenly he noticed that it began to get light. By the time he flashed back to his dormitory, he had already missed breakfast, and his roommates had wondered where he had gone so early on a Saturday. Harry groaned as he looked at his alarm clock. '_Now I have a problem. I can't let the teachers see me before going to Hogsmeade; otherwise, I'll be grounded for the day_,' he thought, pondering what to do.

Suddenly, Remus stormed into the dormitory. Seeing Harry, he sighed and said in obvious relief, "Yes, he is here."

Lily came into view. "Here you are. Severus and I agreed to meet at the entrance door in twenty minutes. Is that all right for you?" she asked hastily.

"No Lily; since I missed breakfast, neither McGonagall nor Pomfrey should see me before we leave," Harry said thoughtfully. "Can we meet near the Whomping Willow after you meet with Severus?"

"Of course, Harry, but please be careful. We'll wait for you," Lily promised, before she headed back downstairs towards the common room.

"All right, I better leave as soon as possible," Harry said quickly. "Bye Remus, have a nice day. I'll see you at Hogsmeade."

Before Remus could reply, James and Sirius suddenly stormed into the room. "Can you believe it," James blurted out. "I asked Lily out to Hogsmeade, and she told me she was going with Snivellus and Harry!" He sat down on his bed, looking very frustrated.

"Harry, do you have any intentions with Lily?" Sirius asked boldly, glaring at Harry.

Harry sighed in annoyance. "James, I can assure you that Lily is only a friend of mine. I'm not interested in her in any other way. I can swear you a wizard's oath on that."

"Really?" James cast Harry a challenging look.

Harry quickly pulled his wand. "Herewith I swear on my magic that I'm not interested in Lily Evans as a girl friend. Is that enough? Okay, I'd better be going." Harry transformed into Icicle and flashed away with his normal white splash of ice.

James' and Sirius' eyes widened. "Wow, he managed to transform completely! He's too cool!"

"Fantastic!"

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

When Lily and Severus reached the Whomping Willow, they saw a beautiful white phoenix sitting on a nearby rock.

"Look Severus! Over there! That's Harry; he managed to transform completely," Lily shouted excitedly, looking at the gorgeous bird in awe.

Harry transformed back into his human form, and Severus told him sternly, "You're impossible. I can't understand why you have to get yourself into trouble all the time."

"Yes Professor Snape, sorry Professor Snape. I just can't help it. Now, where are we going to go?" Harry asked, smirking.

Lily laughed. "Why not? I can imagine that Severus would make a good Potions professor. Anyway, I'd like to go to the bookshop. And maybe later have a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?" She gave her two friends a questioning look.

"Good idea, but I have to go to the apothecary as well. I need a few potions ingredients," Severus replied, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"I don't need anything at all, but I'll join you anyway, if you don't mind. Butterbeer sounds good in any case," Harry said, laughing happily.

The three friends thoroughly enjoyed their first Hogsmeade visit together. For lunch, they had a butterbeer and a sandwich at the Three Broomsticks, where they shared a huge table together with James, Sirius and Remus.

It was a warm and sunny November day, but shortly after they left the Three Broomsticks, Harry noticed that the air was becoming colder by the minute. However, it was an abnormal coldness, which he knew all too well. His scar had been buzzing for a while now, so that it was not difficult to guess what was happening. With a terrified expression on his face, he turned to his friends.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

"I think it's so cold because Dementors are nearby," Harry quickly informed his friends as a thought crossed his mind. '_I didn't know that Voldemort had already managed to control them,_' the thought, terrified at the idea.

"I'm going to transform into my phoenix form and flash the two of you back to the school, and then I'll return for the other three. Just grab my tail feathers, and you wait here; I'll be back in an instant. We have to hurry," Harry urgently told his friends and transformed into Icicle. He flashed Lily and Severus back to the school, instructing them to send Dumbledore to Hogsmeade right away, before he flashed back to fetch Sirius, James and Remus. Harry was glad that Peter wasn't with them that day. '_I'd be very tempted to just leave him to the Dementors_,' he thought as he arrived at Hogsmeade, realising in horror that the Dementors were already there.

He shooed the Marauders out of the way and stood in front of them, thinking about how happy his life was now as he shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" However, to Harry's huge surprise, a strong, white ice phoenix Patronus appeared and chased off the Dementors. '_Why is my Patronus suddenly a phoenix although it was a stag for nearly three years?_' he wondered, looking at the scene in disbelief.

By then Fawkes arrived with Dumbledore in tow, and the Headmaster conjured his phoenix Patronus as well. The Dementors were still nearby, and one of them was just trying to attack a small child. '_Oh no, not a child_,' Harry thought, horrified. He summoned all his powers to conjure one more Patronus to chase the Dementors away completely, before he collapsed on the ground.

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The Marauders stood there, unmoving, while Dumbledore rushed over to Harry. "Very well done, my boy. Thank you. Are you all right?"

Harry smiled tiredly and gratefully took the Headmaster's outstretched hand to pull himself upright. "I'm fine, Professor; thank you for coming to help."

A lot of people, who had witnessed the scene in horror, came running to thank Dumbledore and Harry, but James, Remus and Sirius efficiently saved them from the crowd.

The Headmaster gave Harry a sharp look. "I'll ask Fawkes to take you and the others to the hospital wing; you have to recover from the effects of the Dementors."

With that, Harry was wide-awake and objected vehemently, "No Professor! We won't go there, or at least I won't. We'll go to Honeydukes and buy lots of chocolate to eat, so that we'll be fine in a blink."

The Marauders nodded in agreement. The four boys strode over to Honeydukes and bought four huge pieces of chocolate, which they devoured on their way back to Hogwarts. As they walked through the small town, they were once again pulled into conversations with several residents of Hogsmeade as well as other students, who had observed the earlier scene.

"Do you know about the hidden passage, which leads from the cellar of Honeydukes to Hogwarts?" Harry couldn't help asking on their way back, and the Marauders' eyes widened in apparent delight at the news.

James cast Harry a sharp look. "Why do you know such things?" he asked in suspicion. "You've only been at Hogwarts for two months, while we've been here for five years, and we still need you to teach us about hidden passages?"

"Oh, I overheard two students talking about it and thought it might be interesting to try it out," Harry replied quickly, inwardly grinning at his friends' surprise.

"Of course," said Sirius. "We have to try it out during the night. Harry, where at Hogwarts does the passage begin?"

"On the third floor behind the statue of a one-eyed witch; if I understood it correctly, you have to say 'Discendio' to get down to the passage," Harry replied, smirking.

ハリーと改変されたタイム・ライン

At dinner, the events of Hogsmeade were the topic of the day, much to Harry's chagrin. He groaned inwardly and thought, '_So much for not attracting attention._'

When Remus asked him, "Harry, I'd like to learn how to do that. Could you perhaps teach me the Patronus charm?" Harry had to restrain himself from laughing too much.

"Of course, I can teach you," he promised, grinning inwardly as he remembered how Remus had taught him that very spell a few years ago.

Suddenly, a big brown owl approached Harry, holding a small parchment in her foot. Harry hesitated to accept the parchment, knowing that there was no one who would send him a letter, but when James tried to take the letter for him, the owl wouldn't allow him to do so. Instead, it tried to hack his finger, and Lily said, "It looks like a school owl. Probably it would be better if Harry took the parchment from her."

Harry glared at his mother and the owl, before he hesitantly reached for the parchment. The owl nipped from his pumpkin juice and flew away, and Harry slowly unfolded the letter.

'_Mr. Pane,  
you have an appointment with Madam Pomfrey at thirty minutes before curfew tonight. If you miss it, you will be grounded until the end of the month.  
M. McGonagall_'

Harry groaned. '_Why can't they just leave me alone?_' he thought in absolute annoyance. '_I am not a baby. I can well look after myself_.'

Seeing the inquiring looks of his friends, he mouthed "later," before he left the Great Hall heading to the Potions classroom without so much as a glance at the Head table.

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Lily and Severus arrived a few minutes later. Severus gave Harry a small smile and said, "Thanks Harry for bringing us back to the school safely."

Harry smiled back. "You're welcome, but I don't want to talk about it anymore. Are we going to brew potions today, or do you want to practise your Animagus Transformation?"

Severus shrugged "I don't mind. Either will be fine."

Lily said eagerly, "I want to practise becoming an owl. After seeing Harry as a phoenix, I can't wait to manage the Transformation as well."

Harry nodded, smirking. "I don't want to do anything but watch you practising. I'm a bit tired today. Let's go to the Room of Requirement though; it will be much more convenient for you. I'll flash you there, since I don't have much time tonight." He showed them McGonagall's letter.

Harry changed into his phoenix form and back after a few seconds, telling his friends in a small voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't have the energy to flash all of us tonight; we'll just have to walk."

Arriving in the Room of Requirement that only held three comfortable sofas and a soft, fluffy ground, Lily and Severus tried to transform completely, while Harry relaxed in his phoenix form, only flying around from time to time. Lily finally managed to transform her whole body apart from her head and was very proud. '_She looks just like Hedwig_,' Harry thought in amazement.

"Well done Lily, you'll get it very soon," he commended her eagerly. "And Severus, I think changing into a snake is much more difficult than into a bird, because it just consists of one torso and doesn't have different limbs, so being able to change your legs is already a great success. Very good, but I have to head back now. Good night."

Lily looked at him in surprise. "Harry wait, I'm coming with you. I'll accompany you to Madam Pomfrey," she offered in a soft voice.

"Thank you Lily. I really appreciate it," Harry replied gratefully, feeling slightly consoled at the thought of not having to face the Mediwitch alone.

"Are you so afraid of her? What is it about now; because you missed breakfast this morning?" Severus asked incredulously, causing Harry to let out a deep sigh.

"Yes. She's going to give me a nutrient Potion. But I'm afraid that it's more than that. The Patronus charm really requires a lot of magic. Mine is normally very strong, because I have a lot of magic available. But today I had to conjure two strong Patroni, and therefore my magical powers are quite depleted. And if she gets to know that, she won't let me go back to Gryffindor tonight."

"Poor Harry," Severus sneered. "Very well then, let's go together. Maybe we can do something to distract her from you."

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When they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall were already waiting for Harry. Seeing his Head of House, Harry considered running away, but Severus held him back, asking sharply, "Do you really want to get yourself into more trouble?"

"He's right, Harry. Let's go; otherwise, you'll be grounded for weeks," Lily agreed immediately.

"Oh no; why did I become friends with people, who are prefects?" Harry sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a disapproving look. "I didn't want to see you again so soon, Mr. Pane. Moreover, I thought that you had learned something during the last few days, but I'm obviously wrong, considering that you saw fit to miss breakfast again. Apart from that I heard you conjured two strong Patronus charms, and I can't believe that you're well enough to run around the castle."

"I went outside in the morning and forgot the time; it wasn't intentional, and I'm not running around the castle. I was only talking to my friends," Harry replied in a huff, glaring at the Healer.

"Well, sit here and be quiet, so that I can check on you," Poppy replied, waving her wand over Harry, who looked so annoyed that his friends had a hard time not to burst out in laughter.

McGonagall's expression was that of utter annoyance as well; however, she seemed to be worried too. "How is he, Poppy?" she asked in concern. "What does he need? Bed rest?"

"I'm afraid yes, Minerva. I have to keep him here," the Healer replied sternly. "He has used much too much magic and depleted his powers completely."

Now Harry became very angry. "No! I won't stay here. I can rest as well in my own bed in the dormitory! Please, let me go!" he begged.

His Head of House pulled a chair over to him and sat down. "I'm sorry Harry, but I have the impression that you're not able to look after yourself. So we'll have to look after you at least until you show us that you act more responsible towards yourself."

Lily and Severus laughed. "It's all right, Harry; it's near curfew anyway. We'll come back to fetch you before breakfast tomorrow morning."

Harry smiled sadly at his friends, but he was too tired to fight anymore. With a flick of Pomfrey's wand, he was dressed in hospital pyjamas, lay down, and was asleep within seconds.

When Harry woke up at lunchtime on Sunday, Lily and Severus were sitting next to his bed doing homework. '_Just like Ron and Hermione,_' he thought and, feeling very happy, mumbled, "Good morning Lily, Severus."

"Good morning sleepyhead. We thought you were going to sleep for the whole weekend," Severus said teasingly.

"How do you feel Harry?" Lily asked.

"Fine. Did the dragon say I can go?" Harry asked hopefully.

Severus shook his head. "No, she didn't say anything so far."

Lily handed him a newspaper, and his eyes caught the headline of the Daily Prophet.

"_**Hogwarts professor and student save Hogsmeade from Dementors**_"

Underneath was a photo of Dumbledore's and Harry's two phoenix Patroni chasing the Dementors. Harry groaned.

"At least they didn't mention your name," Severus said comfortingly.

"Why? What's the problem with the newspaper?" Lily asked curiously.

"Harry received too much attention in the past, and he wanted to enjoy himself this time without attracting attention," Severus explained, smirking.

Suddenly, McGonagall entered the room and came over, seeing that Harry was awake. "Good morning Harry. How are you?" she asked, gently feeling his forehead.

"I'm fine. May I leave now?" Harry asked, completely annoyed by all the fuss the teachers made about him.

"No Mr. Pane. Madam Pomfrey had to go to Hogsmeade for the afternoon, but she said your friends may stay here if you wish, and you'll probably be allowed to return to your dormitory just before curfew."

"No Professor, I'm fine, and I have to go and do my homework. Please let me go," Harry pleaded.

"Mr. Pane, if you're going to throw a temper tantrum again, I will give you a sleeping potion," McGonagall replied sternly, glaring at the boy. "You don't have to do your homework for tomorrow; I will alert your teachers accordingly. I'll ask the house-elves to bring lunch for the three of you now, and I'll come by again later. If you need me or if anyone comes looking for Madam Pomfrey, you can find me in my office."

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The three friends had just finished their lunch, when James, Remus and Sirius entered the hospital wing. Harry laughed at their sight. "Cool; now, we can have a party here."

"That's a good idea," Sirius agreed. "Maybe you could explain to all of us what you did to the Dementors yesterday, and perhaps you could try to teach it to all of us?"

Harry sighed. "Well, why not?" he agreed and thoughtfully began to describe, "The Patronus Charm is a strong charm of the light side, and it's the only thing that works against the Dementors. When I learned to do it, we used a Boggart to practise, but since we don't have one here, we can just practise the Patronus as it is. Do you all want to participate? Lily and Severus too? In fact, I'd recommend it, because it's very useful and already helped me several times."

"Of course we want to learn the charm, don't we, Severus?" Lily replied, her green eyes twinkling eagerly, and Severus nodded his agreement.

"All right then, take your wand out, try to think of a very happy memory, and say the incantation 'Expecto Patronum'," Harry instructed his friends.

"What kind of memory?" James asked, looking at his friend in confusion.

Harry let out a long sigh. "Anything, it just has to be very good and strong. The first time I thought about my first ride on a broom, but it wasn't strong enough and didn't work. Then I tried to imagine my parents cuddling with me during the time before they were murdered, although I didn't even know if that memory was real or just a dream, and it worked."

Seeing that everyone was listening interestedly, he continued, "Yesterday, I tried to imagine how happy I'm here and how good friends you all are, and as you could see, it worked. Just try it out."

After one hour of extensive practice, everyone could get some white mist out of their wands. By dinnertime, after a few breaks and several more hours of practice, Severus and Sirius could produce corporeal Patroni. Severus' was a snake, and Sirius' a dog. Knowing what James' Patronus was going to become, with a little fantasy Harry could guess it from the white mist he produced.

Finally, McGonagall came in and saw what they were doing. "This is the hospital wing and not a classroom," she sharply informed the students, glaring at the students as she shooed everyone out.

"All right, we'll have to practise some more. The best would be next Saturday afternoon. We can use the Room of Requirement. Maybe by then we can find a Boggart to practise with," Harry managed to say to his friends before they left the room.

McGonagall cast Harry an angry glare but asked curiously, "Mr. Pane, what exactly is the Room of Requirement?"

Harry explained about the room and offered his Head of House to take her there. However, the teacher replied, "Not today, Harry, but maybe tomorrow evening. I'm curious if Professor Dumbledore knows about the room."

Harry thought for a moment. "Probably not," he replied finally. "In my fifth year, we had a fraud of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so that I founded my own defence group, called Dumbledore's Army, and we always used this room for our meetings and training. When you and Dumbledore heard about the group, I showed the room to you, and neither of you seemed to know about it."

"Which year's students did you teach, and what did you teach them?" the professor asked with interest.

"Everything I deemed useful, like for example the Patronus charm or Blocking spells, and the students were from all years and various Houses. All fifth year students of my group received an O in their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWLs," Harry finished his explanation, his voice laced with pride, noticing that the professor seemed to be impressed.

"Very well; I have to leave for the Order meeting. Please stay here until Madam Pomfrey releases you. I'll meet you at breakfast tomorrow. Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Professor," Harry replied, while his thoughts went haywire. '_Shall I flash over to Fawkes in order to attend the Order meeting?_' he mused. '_I'd love to listen in to the meeting, but what if Madam Pomfrey returns while I'm away?_' However, he dismissed the unsettling thought and transformed into Icicle.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments. My muse greatly appreciates them. I am sorry; I had this chapter ready ages ago, but I forgot to post it. I will update sooner this time...  
_


	10. Chapter 10

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Harry was just about to flash away, when he heard a sound from Pomfrey's office and immediately changed back into his human form. '_So much about attending the Order meeting_,' he thought, feeling extremely annoyed. He closed his eyes in exhaustion after the transformation and slept through until the Healer woke him up in time for breakfast the next morning.

During Quidditch practice in the evening, when he again had to spend two hours in the dormitory together with Remus, he used the time to teach his friend the Patronus charm, and by the time Professor McGoangall came to fetch Harry for their talk with Dumbledore, Remus was able to cast his wolf Patronus. Needless to say that Professor McGonagall was not very pleased to be greeted by two Patroni, a wolf and a phoenix, when she entered the room.

The Gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's office was back to sweets and opened on 'Gummy bears'.

"Hello my dear boy, how are you on this fine evening?" Dumbledore queried gently, offering him a lemon drop.

"Fine, Professor. How was your Order meeting?" Harry replied, politely declining the sweet.

"Ah, I believe that it was a full success, don't you think so Minerva?"

"Yes, Albus, I think so, but maybe we should just show your memories in the Pensieve, before talking about details?"

"That we shall do my dear," the Headmaster replied thoughtfully.

The Pensieve was already waiting on the table, and Harry reluctantly entered after the two professors. He found himself in a circle of about twenty persons back in the office, which he had just left. Most of the people seemed well known to him; however, they were much younger than he remembered them or – like in case of the Potters – were parents of people, whom he associated with the Order. '_Aww, these are my grandparents. Maybe I'll get a chance to know them here in this time,_' he thought, smiling. The Weasleys were accompanied by two infants. '_How cute Bill and Charlie are. I have to tell them when I'm back._' It was great fun to watch the people he knew so well in the future interacting here in this time.

Harry also had much to laugh about Fawkes' antics. While each member of the new Order of the Phoenix was sworn on the Order, Fawkes sat on the shoulder of the new member and trilled a phoenix song, which didn't only sound beautiful but also very calming to Harry's ears. Each of the members received a necklace with a phoenix pendant, which was supposed to warm up to alert the owner, whenever Dumbledore needed the Order to convene immediately. He only had to grip his own pendant and whisper 'phoenix emergency'.

'_That's a good idea,' _Harry thought_, 'even better than the coins, which we used for the DA last year_.' Dumbledore very carefully explained about Harry and his connection to Voldemort without revealing the fact that he came from the future. The members were very pleased to hear that they had been able to save so many lives at Diagon Alley the other day, just because of a vision of a student, who was on their own side. An hour later, Harry left the Pensieve together with his teachers.

"Now, what do you think Harry?" Dumbledore asked eagerly.

Harry remained thoughtful for an instant, thinking, '_I can't tell the professors that I'm mainly amazed how cute and young the people are, whom I know from the future_,' he thought. "I can't tell you much about the issues discussed at the Order meetings in the future, because I didn't attend any so far. I know that you were thinking about letting me into the Order, but you couldn't because of the protests of Professor McGonagall and Molly Weasley, who were always very protective of me and seemed to think I should rather try to lead a normal student's life."

"All right, my boy. If you remember anything else, you can always come and speak to us," Dumbledore said kindly. "Now, seeing that curfew has already passed..."

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"I'm sorry, Professors," Harry quickly interrupted the Headmaster. "There is something I'd like to discuss with the two of you. It has nothing to do with Voldemort or the Order but is more of a personal problem."

McGonagall threw Harry an enquiring look. "Of course, Harry, what's wrong?" she asked in a much softer voice than that, which she tended to use recently.

Harry cleared his throat to win time, while he feverishly wondered how to explain his problem to the teachers. "Err..." He explained the story of the pink rabbits and his getting sick with panic every time he had to transfigure something in their class and told them about Remus' possible explanation, which sounded very reasonable. He also spoke about his unwanted manifestation of wandless magic. When he finished, Harry sighed and sat back in his seat, averting his eyes to the floor.

Professor McGonagall beat Dumbledore to an answer. "I believe that Mr. Lupin is right. You have to get your magical powers under control. If you don't mind, I will teach you two or three times a week. Come to my office after the last afternoon class tomorrow. Until then I'll compare our timetables and make a suitable plan."

Harry sighed in relief, giving the teacher a grateful look. "Thank you very much, Professor," he said in a small voice.

Dumbledore laughed. "Now, we can't have you miss all of your Transfiguration classes because you're afraid of transfiguring rabbits, can we? I will teach you myself in wandless magic. Wandless magic is a very rare gift, and I am the only one at this school who is capable of it to a certain extent. We shall meet here every Saturday and Sunday evening after dinner. Does this match your plan?"

"Yes it does, Professor. Thank you very much," Harry replied, really appreciating the professors' offers.

Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully. "I'd like to ask you one question Harry. When you conjured your Patronus at Hogsmeade, it took the form of a phoenix. Do you know why your Patronus has this form? As you probably know, every wizard has a different form of Patronus, and in most cases it is an animal that has some connection to the wizard."

Harry sighed and slowly shook his head. He didn't want to reveal his secret, at least not yet. "No Professor," he said, trying to keep his voice firm. However, seeing both teachers look at him closely, he hesitantly continued, "While I was in the future, my Patronus always took the form of a stag and I was told that it was the symbol of my father, because his Animagus form was a stag, but as you saw in Hogsmeade, now it all of a sudden has changed to a phoenix."

The professors looked at Harry in surprise. "I've never heard of a change of the Patronus form," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "However, I haven't heard of someone travelling into the past either." He threw Minerva a questioning look, receiving a smile and a short nod in return, before he continued to speak.

"Harry, we'd like to tell you something equally personal, but we don't want it to be revealed to anyone in this time. Maybe in the future it will be okay, but that we will decide when we meet again in the future. Can you promise to refrain from telling our secret to anyone in this time?"

Harry threw the two teachers an astonished glance. "Of course, Professors, I promise not to reveal your secret to anyone."

"Harry, you will understand why it's so important not to speak about it with anyone, if I tell you that your mother doesn't know about it, although it concerns her as much as it concerns you," Dumbledore said in a stern voice, causing Harry to raise an eyebrow at the Headmaster.

'_What could that be?_' he wondered.

Dumbledore continued, "Harry, the power of wandless magic as well as a certain affinity to phoenixes are a speciality of Merlin's family. Merlin had a phoenix familiar." He looked over to where Fawkes was sitting, and Harry interrupted him.

"That was Fawkes, wasn't it?"

"Yes Harry, exactly. And Merlin was the only known Animagus, who was able to transform into a phoenix before myself, although I'm a fire phoenix and Merlin was an ice phoenix. Now, the Dumbledores are descendants of Merlin, which explains why I possess some of the qualities, for which Merlin is famous. But it's not only me, who is a direct relative to Merlin; you are one as well my dear boy."

Harry nearly choked in surprise. "But how..." he stammered.

Both professors smiled at him. "Considering your reaction, I suppose that I never told you about our relationship before, did I?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Harry shook his head, stunned. "But Professor, I don't understand," he finally voiced his confusion. "You always told me that my Mum's sister Petunia was my only living relative and that it was the reason why I had to live with her, even if it was living hell for me. Are you related to me as well?" he asked, feeling slightly betrayed by the old wizard.

Noticing that the boy was getting upset, McGonagall laid a hand on his knee. "Harry, stay calm please. Albus must have had his reasons for that, although I probably never liked it," she said in a soothing voice.

Harry looked questioningly at his Head of House.

"Harry, when was it that you vanquished Voldemort?" the Headmaster asked gravely.

"Err... a week before I came here."

"And that week you spent in the hospital wing, didn't you?"

"Yes" Harry replied, sounding very annoyed. "I came here on my first day of classes after that."

"So you see we didn't have any chance to speak to you in private after Voldemort was gone," Dumbledore said, absentmindedly popping a lemon drop into his mouth. "That's the reason why we didn't tell you anything about our relationship in the future. Do you know about the relationship between Minerva and me?"

"No Professor," Harry replied, glancing astonished at the teachers. "I always imagined that you behave like a couple, married for a long time," he blurted out, blushing deeply.

"And that is correct, Harry. Minerva is my wife. However, hardly anyone knows about it and we'd like it to stay that way at least until Voldemort is gone forever. But concerning our relationship to you… The mother of Lily and Petunia is our daughter!"

Harry jumped from his seat. "Pardon me?" he asked in disbelief. "But I thought Lily was muggleborn."

"No Harry, she is a Dumbledore like you, but our daughter is a Squib, and she hates everything that has to do with magic. She grew up here with us of course until she was eleven, then she went to a Muggle boarding school, and when she became eighteen, she cut off all contact to us, so that Lily and Petunia don't even know that we are their grandparents."

Harry was stunned. "So you are my great grandparents? Is that really true?" He looked at the Professors with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. '_That would be so cool_,' he thought, '_even if strange_.'

"Of course Harry, do you think the Headmaster would make jokes about matters like that?" McGonagall asked back, smiling fondly at him.

"No, of course not…Ahem… Uh… Granny. Cool. I still can't believe it however. It will probably take some time to get used to it. Anyway thank you for telling me. I really appreciate it."

"The main reason for telling you this now is the fact that you are stuck here for an infinite time without any other living relative, who can know about your identity, and without anybody else to care for you. That's why we wanted you to know about our relationship," McGonagall explained, smiling at her great grandson.

"Another reason is the manifestation of your power," Dumbledore threw in. "Lily has so far not shown any special power; her magic is not weak but it is more or less normal; in contrast to this, your magic is extremely powerful and you also have special powers, which are the famous Merlin powers. At some time in the future, after Voldemort and I are gone for good, you will be the most powerful wizard in the world; therefore, it is very important that you learn to control your powers."

McGonagall glanced at her wrist watch and interrupted her husband. "Sorry Albus, but it's already after midnight, and Harry has to go to bed."

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"No, please wait a moment, Professors," Harry spoke up hesitantly, uncertainly glancing up into his great grandmother's face. "After you told me so much, I think I have to confess something." Seeing that his great grandparents looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and expectation, he continued, "Please don't tell anyone, and please don't be angry at anyone. Can you promise me that?" When the teachers reluctantly agreed, Harry sighed and slowly began to explain, "Since Remus is a werewolf, his friends learned to become Animagi in order to spend the nights of the full moon together with him. James is a stag, Sirius a black dog and Peter a rat. Anyway, I asked James and Sirius to teach me, and they helped me to become an Animagus as well. At the same time, I am teaching Lily and Severus..." Seeing his great grandmother's angry expression, Harry slowly trailed off.

McGonagall threw Harry a livid glare. "Do you know how dangerous that is? You could have died trying," she said in a very upset voice.

"But nothing happened, and I only practised in the dormitory every evening when James, Sirius, and Remus were with me; only the last time I only practised with Remus. If something happened, one of them would have fetched you immediately. And Lily and Severus only practise together with me, so that I can get help if needed," Harry insisted.

McGonagall was not convinced yet. "Can you show us your form then? Have you already managed to transform completely? In such a short time?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, sorry. My form is an ice phoenix" Harry replied, changing into Icicle.

Fawkes greeted him happily, #Hi Icicle.#

#Hello Fireflight.#

#I've missed you at the Order meeting; why didn't you come?#

#Sorry, I was stuck in the hospital wing, I couldn't. But I will surely come the next time.#

"So you're already friends with Fawkes," Dumbledore stated, chuckling.

Harry quickly changed back to his human form. "Yes, I visited him very early on Saturday morning and introduced myself."

Dumbledore smiled fondly at him. "Well done Harry, I'm very proud of you. One hundred points to Gryffindor for your brilliant Transfiguration work."

"Albus!" McGonagall blurted out in exasperation. "How can you reward Harry for putting himself in so much danger?"

"Ah, Minerva, but I didn't give him points for putting himself into danger but for managing to transform into a phoenix," Dumbledore replied calmingly, while he slowly unwrapped another lemon drop, popping it into his mouth.

"I'm still too stunned but also impressed to say much about this, but you can believe me that we'll have a word about this tomorrow," McGonagall said strictly, turning back to her great grandson. "Anyway, I'm going to take you back to your dormitory now, and do not dare sleep through breakfast!"

Harry chuckled, thinking, '_Ah but that will be exactly what I'm going to do_'.

_tbc..._


	11. Chapter 11

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

The next two weeks passed in a blur for Harry with classes, homework, Potions tutoring, Quidditch practice, and private lessons in Transfiguration with his great grandmother as well as Wandless Magic with his great grandfather. However, even if Harry was very busy, he enjoyed his time in the past very much and felt extremely happy. Lily and Severus were really good friends, and Harry also got along well with the Marauders. It was much fun spending the night of the full moon as Icicle outside in the Forbidden Forest together with the Marauders. '_It's cool to have such thick feathers_,' Harry thought when they spent an icy cold November night in the forest. Sirius even allowed him to ride on his back once, and Harry enjoyed himself a lot.

However, two nights later, he just couldn't find sleep. So far, he had tried hard not to change the future, but somehow he always spent his time being together with Lily and Severus, who had become his best friends. Occasionally, he was together with only one of them, and sometimes he spent time together with the Marauders. However, Lily never did anything together with the Marauders.

'_How is she going to get together with James? She's supposed to marry him in order for me to be born in the future_,' he wondered in concern. '_Did I already manage to change the future just by being here so that I'm not going to exist at all in the future?_'

Harry couldn't help worrying and finally ended up in a panic attack, which became so bad that he could barely breathe. '_What am I going to do?_' he thought frantically. '_I could speak with my great grandparents or even with Severus, but what can they do? No one will be able to force Lily and James together_.'

Seeing that it was two o'clock in the morning, Harry decided to speak with Fawkes. He would still be awake, and perhaps he could understand his problem and would be able to think of a solution for his dilemma.

He quickly transformed into Icicle and flashed over to the Headmaster's office, landing just next to Fawkes on his perch. Noticing that the lights in the office were still on, he glanced around and nearly fell off the perch in shock upon realising that his great grandparents were still in the office, having tea together.

#Hello Icicle# Fawkes trilled happily.

#Hello Fireflight, hello Headmaster; I'm sorry to intrude at this time of the night,# Harry/Icicle replied in surprise.

"Harry; that's no problem at all; did you come to talk to Fawkes or to me?" Dumbledore asked in a stern voice but with this usual twinkle in the eyes.

#In fact I came to talk to Fawkes, but I would also appreciate talking to you,# the ice phoenix trilled back hesitantly. #While I was in bed, I had a panic attack worrying about unintentionally having changed the future.#

"In that case change back, my child, and Minerva and I will see if we can help you," the Headmaster advised him gently.

Harry flew down to the floor and quickly transformed back into his human form, taking a seat next to his Head of House.

"Good evening great grandmother. I'm really sorry for disturbing you in the middle of the night."

"Harry, what's wrong?" McGonagall asked in concern, giving him a sharp look.

"I'm always together with Lily and Severus, and I have the impression that they have already come very close to one another. I think Lily fancies Severus and they're really good for each other, but if Lily doesn't get together with James, I won't be born at all," Harry hesitantly explained. He once again began to panic, noticing that it was becoming difficult to breathe again.

"Here Harry, drink this," Dumbledore instructed the boy, handing him a phial with a light pink potion. "It's a calming draught."

Harry for once obeyed and noticed in relief that he was able to breathe easily again. His great grandfather calmingly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, I can understand your concern only too well, and frankly speaking Minerva and I already worried about the same matter. Therefore, we contacted a Seer, whom I know very well, a certain Mrs. Trelawney. I don't know if you knew her in the future, but she is said to be very competent. Anyway, we spoke to her about you."

Harry groaned in annoyance, causing his great grandparents to throw him surprised looks. "I'm sorry, but her daughter, granddaughter or whoever is teaching Divination at Hogwarts at my time is an absolute fraud and can't really see a lot. She predicted my death in every class, and you," he looked at McGonagall, "even warned me about her before my first class with her and said that she'd always predict the death of a student."

"Anyway Harry, the Trelawney of this time is very famous and is said to be really good," Dumbledore continued to speak. "I asked her about the future. And she told me that you would change the future very much, but you would survive and at first have some difficulties of adapting to the new time line you were going to create in the future. However, she predicted that we would be able to help you and that you'd be very happy in the end."

McGonagall smiled fondly at Harry. "You see, Harry, you have nothing to worry about. I really don't believe in predictions…"

Harry chuckled, thinking about how his Head of House had behaved in the future when it came to Divination.

"…but Trelawney's predictions are said to be true," she continued, calmingly putting an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"All right, Great grandmother, Great grandfather, thank you very much for listening and for the information," Harry said gratefully and once again apologized for visiting in the middle of the night, feeling very relieved because of his great grandparents' reassurance. "Good night."

"You're always welcome to speak with us, Harry, and do not dare missing breakfast tomorrow; otherwise you'll be grounded for the Quidditch game," McGonagall said in a gentle but stern voice, causing Harry to smirk.

"Don't tell me you want Gryffindor to lose against Slytherin, because I wouldn't believe you, and as you know, my punishment for missing breakfast was already defined in advance some weeks ago," Harry replied, laughing, noticing that his great grandfather's eyes were twinkling merrily. He changed back into Icicle and apologized to Fawkes for not talking to him, before he flashed away in a splash of ice.

"Very impressive," McGonagall commended in absolute amazement at her great grandchild's beautiful Animagus form.

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The next day went by in a blur, and soon it was time for the huge event of the weekend, the Quidditch match Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Harry was very excited, and he was looking forward to the game very much, although he didn't like the fact that he had to play against Severus. '_At least he isn't playing Seeker_,' Harry thought, while he flew out onto the Quidditch pitch together with the Gryffindor team. Fortunately, it was a bright and sunny day, and considering that it was the last Saturday in November, it was still quite warm – ideal conditions for a Quidditch match.

Harry used his Wronski bluff a few times, so that the Slytherin Seeker, who had obviously decided to follow him most of the time, nearly crashed into the ground. The Slytherin Beaters were playing very harshly, and Harry often had to escape because they were aiming at him with their Bludgers. Twenty minutes into the game, he spotted the Snitch for the first time but had to evade a Bludger again, and after that, the small ball had vanished from sight. After nearly two hours of flying, he saw it again near the goal on the Slytherin side. He dove to just a few meters over the ground, always with the Slytherin Seeker shortly behind him, then shot upwards, and aimed for the small golden ball.

The moment he caught the Snitch, a Blugder hit him straight in the head, so that he lost his balance and fell off his broom, one hand safely gripping the Snitch. Harry slowly tumbled towards the ground, and the whole school watched his fall in horror. James and Severus were the first to reach Harry, and although they were too late to stop him falling, they were able to partly break his fall, ensuring that he didn't hit the ground with full force.

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The next thing Harry knew was that he had a splitting headache. He slowly opened his eyes, dizzily glancing around. '_Oh no! I'm in the hospital wing again_,' he groaned, fiercely rubbing his forehead in a weak attempt to get rid of the pain.

"Oh look, he's waking up," Sirius' excited voice penetrated his ears.

"Oi, Harry, good you're still alive," James said solemnly.

The whole Gryffindor team seemed to be there. Harry turned to James and handed him the Snitch, which was still gripped firmly in his hand. James looked at the golden ball with an expression of disbelief and delight, amazedly reaching out to take it from Harry.

"He caught the Snitch! Why did no one see that? They are continuing the match outside with our reserve team, but they don't even have a Snitch anymore, and we already won the match. That's hilarious. I'll go and give to Madam Hooch immediately!" He showed the Snitch to the others and hurried out of the hospital wing.

Harry's eyes met Lily's. "Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked softly and conjured a cool cloth, which she gently placed on his forehead, causing Harry to give her a grateful smile.

"My head hurts terribly," he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

"No, Harry, stay awake, until Madam Pomfrey can check on you. Don't go to sleep," he could hear Severus' voice, but he felt so tired and achy that he couldn't care less.

Finally, Madam Pomfrey came and shooed everyone except for Lily and Severus out of the hospital wing, before she waved her wand over Harry. "Mr. Pane, you have a concussion and a few broken ribs this time," she finally explained. "Your ribs should be all right by tomorrow, but because of your concussion you'll have to stay here for a few days, and I don't want to hear any complaints about it. It's not my fault and I certainly didn't want to see you here in the first place." She gave Harry a few potions, which made Harry fall asleep in the blink of an eye.

Lily and Severus spent the whole weekend keeping Harry company, and his great grandparents came to visit him every night after curfew, knowing that no one else would be around at that time.

One evening when Harry was asleep, Madam Pomfrey used the opportunity to speak with the Headmaster and his wife. "Minerva, Albus, I noticed something about Harry," she began hesitantly. "His body shows many traces of old bruises and welts, and he even has a few scars on his back. I'm afraid that he must have been abused before in the future, and his relatives obviously malnourished him." She sighed in exasperation, before she continued, seeing that Minerva and Albus were listening intensely. "I also found out that his immune system shows a certain amount of damage, probably resulting from neglect in the treatment of illnesses in the future. Frankly speaking, I have the impression that his relatives never took him to a Healer or even a doctor. The problem with his immune system is also the reason for him spending so much time here, because his body is subjected to more injuries than normal and not able to heal as fast as it should be."

Both teachers' faces had taken on an appalled look. Dumbledore was the first to find words. "What can I have thought to place him with the Dursleys? Why didn't we raise him ourselves?"

"That's a question, which only Harry can answer, if he knows the answer to it. We have to speak with him about this, but we should wait until he is out of the hospital wing. Relax Albus, Harry is not in immediate danger," his wife said softly, calmingly laying a hand on his arm.

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Two days later, on the first of December, Harry woke up to Severus sitting on the edge of his bed studying a parchment. Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, noticing in horror that Severus was in fact reading a letter and was silently crying.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Harry asked in concern, causing Severus to cry even more. '_What might be wrong? I've never seen Severus cry, let alone Professor Snape_,' he mused worriedly, giving his friend a piercing look.

"If I tell you, you won't like my anymore. You won't want to be my friend anymore," Severus sobbed.

Harry let out a long sigh. "Severus, don't forget that I know a lot about you. There's nothing that you have to hide from me," he said reassuringly. "Do you want me to guess?"

_tbc..._

_Thank you very much for your kind comments! Sorry for the delay!_


	12. Chapter 12

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Severus calmed down a little and gave Harry a small nod, averting his eyes to the floor.

"Is it from your father?"

Severus glanced at Harry in surprise, before he nodded again.

"Does he want you to take the Dark Mark?"

Severus sighed. "He wants me to come home for Christmas, so that my uncle can take me to the Dark Lord in order to get marked," he said solemnly. "He's crazy; my father is a Muggle; I can't understand why he wants me to do what my uncle wants."

"All right Severus, it's okay; I'm going to help you. You don't want to take the Mark, right?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

"Of course not, but you don't know my father; he is going to kill me, if I don't obey," Severus said quietly.

"Okay, Severus, we have two possibilities," Harry said thoughtfully. "You can stay here over the holidays instead of going home, so that you can avoid taking the Dark Mark. I know that Professor Dumbledore will protect you, and so will I. The other possibility is to take the mark and to work for Dumbledore as a spy, which is what you did in the future. We should talk to Dumbledore, because you'll need him at any case. Let's go to see him."

"You can't go anywhere Harry," Severus replied, seemingly consoled by his friend's words.

"Oh, not that again," Harry groaned. "I don't care, because we have really important things to discuss. The dragon is not in sight, is she?"

"No, but she told me that you still have a concussion and will have to stay in bed for a few more days. So the only way to talk to Dumbledore is to get him here," Severus contradicted sternly.

"Then get him, or get the dragon and I'll ask her to get him if you prefer that," Harry replied impatiently.

Severus didn't have to consider what Harry could have meant because just at this moment Madam Pomfrey came over to feed Harry his potions.

"Madam Pomfrey, could you please call Professor Dumbledore for us? We have to speak to him, and it's really very urgent," Harry asked the Healer immediately.

"I will do that, Harry, but first of all you need to take these potions," Madam Pomfrey replied in a no-nonsense voice.

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Five minutes later, Dumbledore strode into the hospital wing. Hurrying over to Harry's bedside, he asked, "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry quickly cast a Silencing spell around the three of them, causing Severus to frown, knowing that Harry wasn't allowed to do any magic at the moment. Ignoring Severus' protest, Harry began to explain to his great grandfather what the problem was. "In my time, he acted as a Death Eater for a few years, before he came to you and was given the chance to work as a spy. However, this time, he talked about it before taking the Dark Mark, so I think that he has the choice between spying and hiding from his father and his uncle. What do you think, Professor?"

Dumbledore's face became very serious and the twinkle vanished from his eyes when he replied thoughtfully, "Severus, my boy, I believe that Harry is right. We have two choices, and both seem reasonable. I will protect you in any case from Voldemort as well as from your father or uncle if necessary and so will Harry; I'm sure. You have to think about which one you prefer. I suggest that you consider it for a day and we meet here again tomorrow after classes to speak about the matter. Maybe you let Harry tell you a few things, which he knows about your work as a spy. It could possibly help with your decision."

Severus sighed but seemed much calmer now. "Thank you so much, Professor and Harry; I really appreciate your help. I feel as if the two of you were my family; you care much more about me than anyone ever has. Thank you," he said in a small voice, averting his eyes to the floor.

"You're very welcome Severus. I could say the same to both of you as well." Harry replied, smiling.

"You both are like grandsons to me anyway, my dear boys. So I will see you here again tomorrow," the Headmaster said gently and took his leave.

"No, please wait, Professor. I want to leave here. Can't you do something for me? Tell the dragon to let me go, because I'm really fine now, and I want to go back to my classes," Harry begged his great grandfather, throwing him a pleading look.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I know you would like that, but I also know how protective Minerva and Poppy are of you and that they would have my head if I tried to get you out of here even two hours earlier than Poppy deems you fit. Therefore, I'm very sorry but you'll have to wait. Apart from that, Poppy is giving me a daily update on your condition, and therefore I know that you're still not fine at all. Look, I leave some lemon drops here for you, my boy!"

Harry groaned, shooting his great grandfather a desperate look, before he eyed the sweets on his night table with an expression of disgust.

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Early in the morning, Lily came to see him alone. "Oh Harry, good that you're awake. I tried to see you several times yesterday, but you were always asleep. I need to talk to you."

Harry laughed and said, "What's the problem? You can just wake me up. Since I'm not allowed to do any school work, I don't do anything else but sleep the whole day. What's wrong?"

"Madam Pomfrey didn't allow me to wake you up. Something is wrong with Severus I think. Yesterday, he received a letter at breakfast, and later I saw him around with red eyes as if he had cried. And he came to me during dinner and asked me to postpone our Potions tutoring until Thursday. He never did that before, even when you were in the hospital wing."

Harry inwardly groaned, realising how well Lily was observing Severus… "Lily, you're right. Severus has a problem with his father. He talked to me about it, and we have informed Dumbledore about the problem. He is going to help us. I can't tell you anything more, because it's not my secret, and he probably won't either, at least not at the moment, because he is very upset about it. Please believe me that he'll be fine and that it has nothing to do with you. I'm sure he'll tell you when he is ready."

Severus came and spent lunchtime with Harry to discuss his older self's spying activities in the future, and the two friends talked until Madam Pomfrey came and told Severus that he had to run to be in time for his afternoon classes.

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When Harry woke up the next time, his great grandfather and Severus were sitting next to his bed, engaged in a lively discussion. Harry sat up, jumping into the conversation. "I've thought about something. If Severus decides to do the spying, he'll have to learn Occlumency, before he goes to see Voldemort for the first time. That's absolutely necessary!"

"Oh, hello Harry. I didn't notice that you were awake," Severus said.

"How are you Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shrugged. '_Don't ask me if you don't believe me anyway_,' he thought, but didn't voice this and only said, "Fine, of course, sir. Severus, you know what Occlumency is, don't you?"

"I know what it is, but I'm not able to do it. I'll have to learn," Severus replied solemnly.

"I can try to help you. You actually taught me Occlumency during my fifth year and Legilimency during the summer holidays just last summer, but it was horrible and I'm not very good at it. But we can try if you decide on the spying thing."

"That would be good Harry," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. "But since we only have a little more than two weeks until the beginning of the holidays, I believe that it would be wise to teach Severus immediately, starting tonight, without waiting for his decision whether to take the mark or not."

"That sounds very reasonable, Professor. Would you be willing to do that, Harry? And are you able to teach me in your condition?" Severus asked eagerly.

Harry glared at him. "Of course I can teach you, why not? Let's do it every evening after dinner. This week is perfect, as I don't have Quidditch practice or any lessons in the evenings."

Severus smirked. "Don't worry, you won't have any Quidditch practice next week either, and Potions tutoring can wait as well I think."

"No Quidditch practice? Why not?" Harry asked in a slightly upset voice.

Dumbledore let out a long sigh. "Can you imagine that Poppy is going to let you play Quidditch so soon after what happened on Saturday? She told me that you're grounded for at least a month."

Harry's face fell in disappointment. '_It wasn't my fault that I was hit by a Bludger now, was it?_' he thought angrily.

Finally, Dumbledore stood and excused himself. "All right, Severus, you will train with Harry every evening, and in addition, I will teach you on Sunday morning after breakfast. You still have two weeks to decide what you're going to do. Harry, Minerva and I will come to see you after curfew. Try to behave yourself," he said, chuckling.

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"All right Severus. Let's begin right away. Are you ready?" Harry asked, giving his friend a sharp look.

Severus nodded. "Yes please, Harry."

"In that case, try to clear your mind of everything," Harry instructed him. "I always think of ice and water. I have an image in my mind of water flowing over an icy landscape, and I put this image in front of everything else and just try to lock it there, so that no one can remove it to look behind it. Now try and tell me when you're ready so that I can try to cast the Legilimency spell."

After a few minutes, Severus gave him a short nod to show that he was ready. Harry pulled his wand from under his pillow, pointed it at Severus and thought '_Legilimens_'. A lot of scenes passed in front of his eyes; Severus and him talking and laughing, Severus and Lily during their Animagi studies, Severus as a small boy being pulled by the ear by a man, who had to be his father, Severus as a small boy again, being shouted at by his father for making a potion. All of a sudden, the pictures stopped and Harry got a glance at a golden cauldron with a potion bubbling in it. He then cancelled the connection and let himself fall back into his pillows.

"Severus, that was very good! You managed to stop me from getting behind this picture," he breathed. "A nice picture by the way. For the first time it was incredibly good."

"Thank you Harry, but I let you see a lot of memories. That was not good at all," Severus replied, sighing.

"No, Severus, for the first time it was excellent," Harry disagreed. "You seem to be very talented. No wonder Dumbledore asked you to teach me last year. It took me months to get as far as you got in one try. Are you ready to try again?"

Severus nodded affirmatively. Harry tried once more "Leglimens." Again, he was shown several pictures, this time all of them from Severus' childhood, before he came to the golden cauldron and had to end the connection.

"Very good," Harry commended his friend. "Let's try once more. You can't let me see any memories."

"Wait, Harry. This is very tiring," Severus said, slowly massaging his temples with his forefingers.

"I know that," Harry grinned. "But if you think my pace is fast, then maybe I should show you a few of my memories of how Occlumency lessons could be…" He smirked. "Legilimens."

They tried a few times more, but it was always the same. After seeing a few memories, Harry ended up in front of the cauldron. Finally, they had to stop, because Madam Pomfrey came and brought dinner for them.

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On the next day, they practised after dinner. Severus was getting better, although Harry was still able to watch two or three memories each time, before getting to the cauldron. They tried again and again until Dumbledore joined them to see how they were getting along, and Harry was glad to be able to stop their practice since he didn't feel well at all. The Occlumency lesson had been very tiring even for him and he couldn't help feeling sick.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore and Severus asked simultaneously.

"No, I'm going to be sick," he mumbled, getting sick all over himself.

"Scourgify," Dumbledore mumbled, before he went to get Poppy.

She rushed over immediately, asking, "Headmaster, what are you doing to my patients?"

Severus gave her a glare that would have made McGonagall proud. "The Headmaster didn't do anything; Harry and I were practising Occlumency, Madam."

"And who gave you permission to study here? Harry was supposed to recover and not to get worse," Madam Pomfrey replied angrily.

"I'm sorry, Poppy; it's my fault," Dumbledore admitted immediately. "It was just that Severus has to learn it very urgently, and Harry is the only one able to teach him. Of course I didn't want him to get worse," he explained, trying to calm the infuriated matron.

"Anyway, both of you will leave the hospital wing NOW. OUT! And don't even try to come back tonight," she shouted, fussing over Harry.

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After curfew, McGonagall came alone to see Harry, just when Madam Pomfrey had left the room for a few minutes. "Hello Harry, how are you?"

"Hi Granny, I'm fine. How did you get around the dragon?" Harry grinned, although his smile didn't really reach his eyes.

"I believe that immediately," his great grandmother snorted. "May I ask you about the Occlumency lessons?"

Harry sighed. "Severus is very talented I think. Yesterday, I always managed to watch about five or six memories, and then I ended up in front of a cauldron, which I couldn't get behind. Today, I could only see about two memories, before I was stuck with the cauldron. After one or two more practice sessions, he'll probably be all right. But grandfather has to train him as well, because he is much better than me, and Voldemort is told to be extremely good at Legilimency."

At this moment, Pomfrey came back and frowned. "What are you doing here Minerva? Harry is ill and needs his rest."

"Yes, I know that and I'm not doing anything except for talking to him as long as he is fine with that. By the way what is wrong with him?"

"He overdid himself practising Legilimency on Severus for quite a time it seems. He has thrown up four or five times, has a fever, and his concussion has worsened a bit. I am not pleased with the Headmaster, Severus, and Harry. I was going to release him tomorrow evening, but now he has earned himself at least two more days in this bed. You have five minutes to talk; afterwards please pour this dreamless sleep potion into him and let him sleep Min."

"All right Poppy, good night."

"Um… Grandmother, I have thought about something," Harry spoke up as soon as he realised that the Healer had retreated to her office. Seeing that McGonagall gave him an enquiring look, he continued, "In fact, I'd like to have Grandfather here as well, but he won't come tonight, will he? After the dragon shooed him out and told him not to think about coming back today?"

"He had the intention of listening to Poppy, but if you need to speak to him too, I'll go and get him," McGonagall replied softly.

"No, it's all right," Harry said thoughtfully. "You can tell him then, and maybe he can come to see me tomorrow morning. I told you how I killed Voldemort, don't you?"

"Yes Harry, you've told us," Minerva replied, looking fondly at her great grandson.

"All right then. So, what I thought is that I could do the same thing now. I have to try to establish the link from my side, because Tom still doesn't know about the connection, but that should be no problem. If I vanquished him now, Severus wouldn't have this difficult decision to make, and a lot of lives would be saved, for example those of my parents. I've come to the point where I've stopped caring if I'm changing the future. Does that make sense? Anyway, I think I would like to try to kill him now."

"Do you think you could do that any time?" Minerva asked, her voice laced with disbelief and concern.

Harry sighed tiredly. "Yes I think so. I couldn't do it today, because I'm not feeling well. It will afford a lot of power as well as strong magic; so I'll have to wait a few days. On the other hand, I can't wait to see him gone."

Minerva laughed. "Harry, I don't know what to say about that. Of course, it would be great if he was gone, and I'd appreciate it very much. Everyone would be happy about it. However, I don't want anything happen to you." She gently stroked his flushed cheeks, frowning at how warm they felt to the touch.

"I know; therefore, I'd ask grandfather to stay here with me, while I try to attack Tom. Grandfather is very good at Legilimency, and if I encountered any real problems, he could use Legilimency on me and help me. He also could just try to wake me up, or even Madam Pomfrey could do that. But the last time I was able to do it, so why shouldn't I be able to do it now?"

"Harry we'll discuss this tomorrow with your grandfather," McGonagall said firmly. "You must sleep now." She gently laid a hand on his forehead and sighed. "Poppy is right. You are burning up. Try to rest and remember the earlier you get well the earlier you can have a go at it, provided that Albus agrees with it of course. Good night, my boy." She made Harry drink the dreamless sleep potion, gave him a kiss on the forehead and only had to wait a minute, before Harry was fast asleep.

_tbc..._


	13. Chapter 13

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!  
_

* * *

Harry was finally released from the hospital wing on Sunday evening right before curfew. Together with his great grandparents, he had decided to try finishing Voldemort off the same way as he had already done in the future. Concerning the timing, Madam Pomfrey had advised them to wait at least a week, so that there would only be a week left until the beginning of the holidays. Severus had chosen the spying option, mainly because he had already done so in Harry's future, but of course he hoped that Harry would be able to finish the Dark Lord off, before he would have to take the Dark Mark.

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The Marauders made a huge fuss when Harry returned to the dormitory, since they hadn't been able to see him after the Quidditch game the week before. While he had been in the hospital wing, only Severus and Lily had been allowed to visit him.

"Harry! Did the dragon finally let you go?" Sirius asked, cheerily.

"Thank Merlin," Harry replied in relief. "I don't even want to think about how much I missed and how much I'll have to study during the next two weeks to catch up. We're going to have tests during the last week before the holidays, is that right?" he asked, seemingly annoyed.

"Yes, Harry, there will be the mid-term tests, but I don't think any teacher will ask you for last week's homework. McGonagall told me that all teachers have instructions from Madam Pomfrey not to make you do anything strenuous until the holidays," Remus explained calmly, causing Harry to roll his eyes in exasperation.

Shaking his head in annoyance, Harry efficiently changed the topic by enquiring, "By the way, did we actually win the crazy Quidditch match last weekend?"

"Of course we won!" James and Sirius replied simultaneously, grinning broadly at Harry.

"That's good; then it was worth spending a week with the dragon," Harry said, climbing into his bed. "Good night everyone," he mumbled and lay down, letting out a tired yawn.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Sirius shouted, and James added, "Don't even think about going to sleep right now."

"Why not?" Harry asked indignantly. "I'm tired."

"You know, Harry," Remus began to explain, stepping over to Harry's bed, "when we won the Quidditch match, you were in such a bad condition that no one felt like having a party. So we postponed it to the evening of your return. While we're talking here, the others are already preparing everything, and the party is going to begin as soon as curfew starts, which is in two minutes."

"We're going to have a Quidditch party right now?" Harry looked at his friends in disbelief, trying to look enthusiastic, while his mind screamed, '_Oh no, I just want to get some sleep_.'

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On the way down to the common room, Harry noticed that the whole room was decorated and a huge banner covered the wall.

'_Gryffindor 350 - Slytherin 70'_

He had to try hard to hold back the tears that were welling up in the back of his eyes. '_That's too good to be true_,' he thought, feeling incredibly happy.

"Harry," Lily shouted excitedly, pulling him into a bear hug. "I'm so glad to have you back."

Harry smirked, hesitantly hugging his mother back. "Believe me I'm even happier to finally have escaped from the dragon. It's so good to be here again."

Frank Longbottom, Gryffindor seventh year and Head boy, raised his glass. "Dear Gryffindors, welcome to our Quidditch victory party. Thanks to the Marauders and the Hogwarts house-elves we are having butterbeer and many delicacies tonight. Cheers!"

James leaned over to Harry and whispered, "We've tried out your secret passage to Hogsmeade. It works. That's why we're having butterbeer!"

The Gryffindors had a lot of fun, and during the next few hours, the party became quite loud. Harry was nearly asleep on a comfortable seat in front of the fireplace when the portrait hole opened and a very annoyed McGonagall entered the common room, asking in a dangerously quiet voice, "What do you think you're doing here? It's two o'clock in the morning!"

James and Lily hurried over to the angered professor. "We're sorry, Professor, but we had to celebrate our victory over Slytherin; you surely understand that, don't you?" James said, beaming at the teacher.

"And Professor, we had to postpone our party, because we didn't want to hold it without Harry, and he was only released from the hospital wing tonight. You know that we normally wouldn't do such a thing, but in this case it was necessary," Lily added, giving her Head of House a pleading glance.

"Now look, Professor, it's not our fault that the hospital dragon didn't release him earlier but on a Sunday evening just before curfew," Sirius jumped into the conversation.

McGonagall had to try hard not to laugh. Of course, she appreciated her grandchild and great grandson to be happy with their friends, but this was going too far. "All right; this time I'll let it slip, but I don't want to see a party here at two o'clock on a Monday morning ever again. Go to bed immediately, and I tell you now, if only one of you misses so much as breakfast tomorrow morning, you will all be in detention for the rest of the week. Good night."

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The following week passed fast and rather uneventfully. Harry had a lot of work to do in order to catch up, knowing that the next week was the test week. He spent much time in the library studying together with Severus. Sometimes Lily joined them as well, although she seemed to prefer the Gryffindor common room for studying to James' great pleasure. Fortunately, his great grandparents had cancelled their private lessons with Harry until after Christmas, and since he was neither allowed to continue his Occlumency lessons with Severus nor to play Quidditch for the time being, he had much time to study.

Harry was very careful not to use large amounts of magic at once, not only because his great grandmother reminded him to take it easy whenever she had the chance to talk to him, but also because he knew that he had to save all of his powers for the big strike, if he wanted to have a chance to succeed against Voldemort.

Dumbledore had agreed that Harry should try to attack Voldemort on Sunday morning and had instructed his great grandson to come to the hospital wing straight after breakfast, where Severus, Pomfrey, McGonagall and himself would join Harry in order to help if necessary.

However, as the week passed by, Harry became restless and worried about how to get into Tom's mind. '_Maybe I should try if the connection works at all in this time_,' he mused, unable to push that thought from his mind. On Friday evening, he summoned all his courage and tried to put his scar connection into life. '_It seems to work. I'm inside Tom's mind, aren't I_?' he wondered, feeling slightly confused. '_Shall I try to attack him right away?_' he considered, finding the thought very tempting. However, he dismissed the idea. '_It's too important to do it improperly, and it's too dangerous for me to try it alone here in the dormitory_,' he thought and exited Tom's mind before being noticed, quickly drifting off into a restless sleep.

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For Saturday, the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas was scheduled. Harry had agreed with Lily and Severus to meet after breakfast and go to the town together. After lunch at the Three Broomsticks, they would split up for an hour to buy each other's Christmas presents. However, Harry and the Marauders had just entered the Great Hall for breakfast, already carrying their outdoor robes with them, when McGonagall stepped into their way. "Mr. Pane, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to you after breakfast."

"But Professor! I'm going to Hogsmeade with Lily and Severus," he protested, feeling extremely annoyed.

"I'm sorry Harry; I suppose that he doesn't want you to leave the castle today, but I'm not sure. Maybe you can tell your friends that you will meet them for lunch, if you're allowed to go," she suggested in a small voice, only for Harry to hear.

Very disappointed and upset, he made a beeline for the Slytherin table and explained to Severus what his great grandmother had told him. "Severus, please just go alone with Lily. If the meddling old coot lets me go, I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks for lunch, all right?" Harry whispered to his best friend.

Severus sighed. "He won't let you go. He probably wants to make sure that you'll be well rested and prepared for tomorrow morning. Do you need anything from Hogsmeade that I can bring for you?"

Harry smirked. "Yes please, Christmas presents for you, Lily, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sirius, Remus, James, and the dragon."

"Of course," Severus sneered. "Take care of yourself Harry."

Lily was as disappointed as her friends, maybe even more because she couldn't understand the reason behind Dumbledore's decision. After accompanying his two friends to the gate, Harry grudgingly walked to Dumbledore's office, frowning at the choice of his great grandfather's password for the gargoyle, 'the power of love'. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Pomfrey were already waiting for him.

Harry, who had already been upset before, became really angry at the sight of the three adults and hissed, "What is it now? Do I only have to do the dirty work now? Am I not allowed to have even the slightest bit of fun like all the other students?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, my dear boy…"

"Don't give me dear boy, Professor."

Pomfrey gripped his arm, handing him a phial. "Harry, please drink this."

"No," Harry said in a huff, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Harry, it's only a calming draught and we need you to drink it in order to not have to force-feed you," McGonagall said calmingly.

Very reluctantly, Harry agreed, calming down immediately, all of a sudden noticing that nothing really mattered anymore. He even let his great grandfather pull himself over to his guest bedroom, where he was told to sit on the bed.

"Now Harry, I want Poppy to check on you to make sure that you're really fit and well to do your stunt tomorrow morning. What we are planning is very dangerous, and I don't want to take any risk of losing you on the way," Dumbledore said sternly.

Harry merely shrugged and just let things happen, realising, '_I can just as well let them do what they want; I can't fight three of them anyway._'

Pomfrey waved his wand over him a few times, before she finally said, "He is completely fine, although he seems to be a little tired. I'd prefer to give him a few potions in any case."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement, and Pomfrey handed Harry two phials. One of the liquids held an orange potion, which he could recognize as Pepperup potion. He suspiciously eyed the other one. '_What might that be?_' he mused but didn't really care what it was and decided to just gulp the potion down that caused him to drift off to sleep in the blink of an eye.

Harry slept until his great grandfather's voice penetrated his ear. "Harry, it's time to wake up, my boy."

He lazily opened his eyes, yawning. '_Where am I? What am I doing here?_' he mused, reaching for his glasses. "Professor?" he enquired, eyeing his great grandfather in confusion.

"Harry, you're in my guest bedroom. Madam Pomfrey decided that you had to rest for a while in order to be fit tomorrow; don't you remember? Now however, it's dinner time, and we have to go down to the Great Hall. You already missed lunch today," Dumbledore explained gently.

All of a sudden, Harry remembered the earlier events, and he glared at his great grandfather, feeling very annoyed.

"Don't let yourself get so upset again; Harry, otherwise I have to force-feed you another calming draught," Dumbledore advised the boy, fondly ruffling his hair, before he motioned him to follow him to the Great Hall for dinner.

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"Harry! Where have you been all day? I thought you were going to Hogsmeade with us," James asked as soon as Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"In Dumbledore's guest bedroom; Pomfrey force fed me a sleeping draught, because they thought I needed more sleep," Harry mumbled, turning his eyes to Lily.

"What?" James queried in disbelief. "What do they think they're doing?"

"We bought lots of sweets in order to have another party tonight in the common room, because we have still butterbeer left from the party last week," Sirius informed Harry, beaming with excitement.

Harry, who so far had only played with the food on his plate, mumbled, "Sorry lads; I'm still tired and I think I'll just go back to bed."

"Are you all right, Harry?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Of course, Lily; I'm fine, I'm only tired," Harry replied, a small smile playing on his lips. He quickly retreated from the Great Hall, not noticing the five pairs of eyes that were watching him in concern. He went to bed and didn't even wake up when the party became so loud that McGonagall entered the common room, throwing a temper tantrum.

"You are very irresponsible. It is not more than six days ago that I told you not to hold any more parties here without my permission. You're going to be in detention tomorrow, all of you. You'll meet in the Transfiguration classroom immediately after breakfast, and I'll have Mr. Filch come and assign each of you a task to do during the day. I'm very disappointed."

"But Professor," Lily went over to her, "what about Harry? He hasn't participated in the party tonight at all. He's been asleep since dinner."

McGonagall eyed her in surprise and finally said, "I'm going to check on him," before she headed up to the sixth year boys' dormitory to look after her grandson. He was fast asleep. She worriedly put a hand on his forehead to check for a fever, but he seemed to be fine. Heading back through the common room, she told Lily, "Mr. Pane is exempt from detention tomorrow."

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In the morning, Harry woke up very early, feeling refreshed and awake, but his stomach grumbled. '_It's so early that I could go flying as Icicle for a while,_' he mused but quickly abandoned the thought, because he didn't know yet how much energy this would afford. '_I'll just go to the kitchens for an early breakfast_,' he decided, quickly striding through the empty halls. When he entered the kitchens he stopped dead in his tracks. The Headmaster was sitting there drinking cocoa.

"Harry! Good morning my dear boy," his great grandfather greeted him kindly. "Would you like a cocoa as well, Harry?"

"No. I'd like to have breakfast please," Harry addressed the house-elves and told his great grandfather, "I'm very hungry since I somehow managed to miss lunch and dinner yesterday."

"I'm very sorry, Harry, but I really thought it was necessary to let you rest for a while yesterday. How do you feel today?"

"Great. As much as I hated it yesterday, I think the sleep helped a lot. Do you think we could start immediately after our breakfast here, or do we have to wait until breakfast in the Great Hall is finished?"

"Twinkle!" Dumbledore called his personal house elf, explaining to Harry, "Twinkle is my personal house-elf. Twinkle, could you please go and wake Minerva, Severus Snape and Poppy and tell them to come to my office at six o'clock; that's in half an hour. Thank you."

"Of course Master Professor Dumbledore," Twinkle replied and popped away in the blink of an eye.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments and reviews... sorry for the delay..._


	14. Chapter 14

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

When Harry and his great grandfather arrived at Dumbledore's office, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Severus were already waiting for them, having breakfast in the guest bedroom.

"Good morning. I'm sorry for waking you up so early, but Harry and I met in the kitchen for an early breakfast and Harry preferred to commence immediately," Dumbledore apologized.

"No problem. Harry, are you well and ready?" McGonagall looked at the boy in apparent concern.

"Yes of course," Harry replied, groaning inwardly at his great grandmother's over protectiveness.

"Harry, what do you want us to do? Is there anything we can do for you?" Severus asked, quirking an eyebrow at his friend.

Harry sighed. "There's not much you can do," he said quietly. "I'm going to lie down, occlude my mind, and try to establish a connection to him. I know that it works, because I already tried on Friday evening…" Ignoring the simultaneous gasp coming from McGonagall and Pomfrey he continued, "and managed to connect to his mind. At that point, I stopped because I was alone at the time and thought it was too dangerous. Considering that I managed to beat him the last time and that he doesn't even know about my scar and our connection, I can't imagine that he'll be able to defend himself. In case I have real problems, you'll probably notice and then you can help me. Professor Dumbledore could use Legilimency on me to join our conversation, or you could try to wake me up. But please only interfere if you can sense that I'm really in danger."

"And how do we know if he is gone?" McGonagall asked, frowning.

Harry sighed again. "When he dies, his Death Eaters are going to die as well. The last time I could save Severus from death by including him in the people I love, but this time fortunately it won't be necessary. However, the students, who already bear the mark, will die with him. I'm sorry for them, but…"

"I thought you hated my future self?" Severus asked in disbelief. "Then why did you save me?"

"You hated me, Severus. I don't hate anyone, not even your future self," Harry replied in a soft voice. "And you had never physically harmed me; on the contrary, you saved my life at more than one occasion, plus you were on the light side at that time, so why should I let you die?"

"All right Harry," Dumbledore threw in, "before you begin, I'd like to give you something." He handed him a necklace with a phoenix pendant, which held the Dumbledore family's crest. "This is a protection necklace like all magical families give to their children. When you are in real danger, Minerva and I will know immediately." He noticed that Severus looked from one to the other in surprise. "Severus I'd like you to promise that you won't tell anybody of what you are going to hear here today."

Severus watched them curiously and said, "I promise, Professor."

"Fine, thank you Severus. Barely anyone knows that Minerva and I are married, and no one except for the five of us now know that Harry is our great grandson. All right Harry, shall we begin?"

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Harry gave his great grandfather a wary nod and proceeded to lie down on the comfortable bed, where he had already spent the last day. He felt that it was difficult to stay calm. Although he had managed to do this before, he knew that it was very dangerous to attack Voldemort straight through his mind. The only advantage he had was that Voldemort didn't know about their connection.

"Sorry, could you please put yourselves under a silencing spell, because I really have to concentrate hard," he asked the others, before he occluded his mind and tried to build up a connection to Voldemort.

'_Yes!__That__'__s__right;__I__'__m__in__Voldemort__'__s__mind._ _Okay,__Harry__stay__calm,__you__know__what__you__have__to__do,__and__you__already__did__it__before.__You__can__do__it_,' he tried to convince himself, before he began to address Tom.

The others could hear him say, "Hello Tom, can you hear me?"

"Yes. Who are you, and where are you?"

"Nice to meet you, Tom; there's no need for you to know my name. You can call me Icicle, and I'm just here."

"Where is here?"

Of course, the others couldn't hear Voldemort's answers, but the whole conversation became apparent by Harry's words, so they tried to relax and listen for the time being. So far, apart from Harry's livid scar everything seemed to be fine.

"Never mind, Tom," Harry thought to the man.

"I am Lord Voldemort."

"Yes, yes, I know. Tom Marvolo Riddle, a nice name for a half blood wizard."

Voldemort was really getting angry now. "Don't call me that!"

"Oh, don't you like it? Well, that's why I thought I'd call you Tom. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I have something, which you know nothing about: **LOVE**. I **love** my parents, who died for me, I **love** my great grandparents who are still alive, and I **love** my friends, Severus, Lily, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Sirius, James, and Remus. I **love** all the students here at Hogwarts now and in the future; I **love** all the teachers, Madam Pomfrey, and even the teachers, who hate me. I also **love** you Tom and your Death Eaters when you die and leave the world in peace. I **love** the whole world. Good bye Tom."

For a few minutes, which felt endless to Harry, the others watched as he seemed to struggle with an expression of utmost pain and exertion on his face. Blood began to leak from his scar, and pearls of sweat built on his forehead threatening to drip down from his temples. Finally, Harry relaxed and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to his side, waving her wand over him several times, before she finally pocketed it and stated calmly, "He'll be all right. He completely depleted his magic, but apart from that and his head wound, which causes him a terrible headache, he seems to be fine."

Dumbledore nodded pensively. "Yes, I feared that would happen. He told us that he had to remain in the hospital wing for nearly a week the last time, but of course he can stay here, at least until he wakes up. Now, what are we going to do? We should check on the Death Eater students within the castle without letting anyone know. Severus, could you go back to Slytherin and look for Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle without attracting attention? These four are definitely Death Eaters, since Harry recently watched their initialization. About other students I can only guess."

"Albus, breakfast is going to start in five minutes. We can just go down to the Great Hall and examine the situation. Pettigrew should be affected as well in case something really happened to the Death Eaters," McGonagall contradicted, sighing.

"Minerva, you're right as usual," Dumbledore said pensively. "Poppy, maybe you should return to the hospital wing in case some of the Death Eater students are brought there. Severus, would you mind staying here with Harry for a while? I'll ask Twinkle to bring some more tea for you."

"Of course, Professor, thank you. Could you please inform me as soon as you know more?" Severus asked in concern, before he made himself comfortable on the edge of Harry's bed.

"Of course my dear boy," the Headmaster replied calmingly.

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When the two professors reached the Great Hall, it was in an uproar. The Slytherin table was nearly completely empty, and only Professor Sprout and Madam Hooch were sitting at the Head table. McGonagall cast an assessing look at the Gryffindor table, noticing that the Marauders were missing. She let out a deep sigh, expressing relief and regret at the same time.

"Albus, it seems to have really happened. I'll go to the tower to look for the Marauders."

"All right Minerva. Take him to the hospital wing and send the other students here. Later on, we'll have to notify the parents."

"Of course, Albus. I'll help you," McGonagall replied and transformed into her feline form, dashing away in the direction of the Gryffindor tower.

She went straight up to the sixth year boys' dormitory, where she saw three students towering over another boy, who was lying on the ground.

"What happened exactly?" she asked in her normal strict voice.

"Professor!" James exclaimed, obviously relieved to see the teacher. "We really don't know. He suddenly gripped his arm and seemed to be in a horrendous pain, before he collapsed like this. Is he dead?"

McGonagall sighed. "I'm afraid yes." She took Peter's left arm and rolled his sleeves up.

"What are you doing Professor?" Sirius asked and gasped when they could see the fading Dark Mark on Peter's arm.

"What happened, Professor?" Remus asked softly, turning his eyes from his former friend to the teacher.

"Voldemort and all this Death Eaters seem to be gone, thanks to your classmate Harry. Please attend breakfast in the Great Hall; I'm sure the Headmaster is going to tell you more. I will take Pettigrew to the hospital wing."

When she came back to the Great Hall, Dumbledore whispered, "Minerva, could you go and stay with Harry? Please send Severus down; I want him to be present when I address the students."

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As soon as Severus reached the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood and looked around, seeing that all students apart from the dead Death Eaters had arrived in the meantime. He slowly began to speak.

"Like most of you probably know, we found ourselves in a horrible time of war over the last few years; the war against Tom Riddle alias Lord Voldemort or the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. Even some of our students were Death Eaters. Over the last few years, Voldemort and his followers killed many innocent people and were threatening to throw the wizarding world into a long-term war of horror and death."

The Great Hall remained absolutely quiet, and the Headmaster continued in a lighter tone, "Today, one of our students, Harry Pane, managed to vanquish Voldemort for good. Although nobody found his body yet, we believe that he is dead and can't come back. His Death Eaters are gone as well."

Ignoring the questioning voices arising at this statement, he continued, "Unfortunately, for a few of you this means that one or even both of your parents and maybe also one of your friends here at Hogwarts are affected from this. As far as I heard, there are eight Hogwarts students, who died this morning. Although this is indeed very sad, I wish you to remember that it was their own choice to fight on Voldemort's side. Please let us pray for a future in peace. I hope to be able to give you more detailed news at lunchtime. Thanks for your attention." With that he stood and left for his office to contact the Aurors.

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When Harry woke up, he noticed that he still was in Dumbledore's guest room, and his great grandmother was sitting in a chair next to his bed reading a very old looking book. She looked startled when Harry suddenly asked, "Is he gone?"

McGonagall hadn't even noticed that Harry had woken up. "Yes my dear. You did it," she informed him, giving him a fond smile. "How do you feel, Harry?"

"I'm fine, but I'm very tired, and my head hurts. How is Severus?"

"He's fine. He is extremely relieved that you could save him from taking the Dark Mark, but he had to go home for his uncle's funeral. Most of the students, who had to return home, because their parents or relatives died, will stay home until after Christmas, but Severus told us he didn't want to leave you alone and would be back as soon as the funeral was over. I'm going to get Poppy to check on you."

"No", Harry groaned, "not the dragon. Just let me go back to sleep."

McGonagall sighed and soothingly laid her hand on Harry's arm. "Harry, she only wants to help you, just like everyone else. You've been asleep for more than two days, and I want her to examine you while you're awake. I can assure you that she won't take you with her. You're allowed to stay here in the Headmaster's guest room until you're fully recovered. By the way, Harry, today is Wednesday, and on Friday, the evening before the students leave for their winter holidays, we're going to have a Voldemort demise party with participants from several European countries, the Ministry and many people."

Harry groaned. "I already had to go through that three months ago, when I vanquished him for the first time. Surely, they'll have a press conference as well." He rolled his eyes in absolute annoyance. "Great grandmother, so far I've been very happy here because of not being famous in this time, and I don't want to lose that. Do you think I'd be allowed to sleep through the whole event?"

His great grandmother frowned. "I can't imagine what that would change. Albus had to tell them your name anyway. So they are surely going to ask you questions and to keep thanking you. Minister McNeill already flooed to Hogwarts three times in order to talk to you, but so far, Albus, Poppy, and I were able to keep him from you. However, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to him soon."

Harry sighed. "Very well then, I'll once again do what everyone expects me to do, but I really hope that it'll be the last time, and first of all I need a headache potion."

McGonagall hurried to the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, and a minute later Pomfrey and Dumbledore entered Harry's room.

"Congratulations Harry," Dumbledore greeted him happily, offering him a lemon drop, which Harry declined politely.

"Well done Harry," Pomfrey said, waving her wand over Harry. Muttering to herself, she gave Harry two potions that caused him to drift off to sleep within seconds.

The next time he opened his eyes, Severus, Remus, and Lily were sitting around his bed, smiling at him.

"Hi Harry, time to finally wake up, sleepy head," Severus said. "You're just in time for the party, which is going to start in an hour."

"Severus! How are you? Is everything okay?" Harry queried, giving his best friend a sharp look. '_He__looks__very__happy__in__spite__of__the__fact__that__he__lost__his__uncle_,' he thought.

"Yes, Harry, I really have to thank you. I feel as if I was finally alive again," Severus replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I think we all have to thank you, my dear," Lily spoke up, smiling at Harry as well.

"Harry, I brought your robes and everything. Maybe you should get up, take a shower, and get dressed in order to attend the party. I'm sure we'll have much fun tonight!" Remus suggested gently.

Harry glared at his friend in disbelief. "Fun? Are you sure?" he asked, sarcastically. '_The__last__time__I__had__to__endure__the__demise__party__in__the__future__was__horrible_,' he remembered, and only the thought of another, similar party made his stomach churn.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments. During the last week, I have re-written some of the next chapters, so that I will be able to update much faster now :D_


	15. Chapter 15

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

The demise party turned out completely different from the one that Harry had endured in the future. Dumbledore, McGonagall and Harry curiously looked around as they entered the Great Hall, noticing that James and Sirius had, apparently with the help of Remus, Severus and Lily, managed to transform the whole Great Hall into a tropical paradise. They had transfigured a part of the large room into a lake and had replaced the huge House tables with many smaller tables, which were surrounded by comfortable looking chairs, placed on the beach. A whole forest of palm trees completed the scene. Fawkes was sitting in a palm tree, trilling happily. Dumbledore allowed Harry to sit at a table with his friends; however, he informed the boy that he would have to come over to the guests' table when he was needed.

"Dear students, Ministers and guests of Hogwarts, I'm glad to welcome you to our Voldemort demise beach party. We have many guests here tonight from several countries, but before I talk too much, I'd like to invite you to enjoy what our house-elves have prepared for you. Please enjoy your dinner, ladies and gentlemen."

When they had finished their main course, Sirius said in a loud voice for everyone to hear, "Five minutes for the Animagi to play before the dessert," and the Marauders changed into their Animagus forms.

Harry looked at his friends in amazement. '_Lily and Severus have managed the transformation. That's brilliant_,' he mused and automatically transformed into Icicle, joining Fawkes on his tree.

#Hi Icicle, nice of you to join me; I was a little lonely here on my palm tree.#

#Hello Fawkes, oh my, and I had thought you enjoyed sitting above everyone, observing us from here# Harry trilled back, chuckling inwardly at the other phoenix's bored expression.

Two Ravenclaw seventh year students transformed into a cat and a lizard, and Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore joined the students in their cat and phoenix forms. Suddenly, Harry noticed that a crocodile was approaching the water. '_Probably one of the foreign ministers_,' he thought, watching the animal in amazement. _'I've never seen such an Animagus. That's a really cool form_._'_ Severus in his black snake form looked beautiful on the white sand of the beach. They had a lot of fun, before Dumbledore finally transformed back into his human form and announced, "All Animagi back for the dessert please."

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As soon as dinner was over, Minister McNeill rose from his seat, letting his eyes wander over the crowd. "Dear Professors, dear students, dear guests. Thank you very much for the invitation to this joyful party. The whole magical world is excited about the end of the war. I want to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Harry Pane, who has somehow managed to vanquish the evil that pulled us into this war for many years. Mr. Pane, can you please explain how you were able to achieve this victory?"

Harry grudgingly stood up, inwardly groaning in annoyance. "Dear Minister, dear foreign Ministers and other guests, welcome to Hogwarts. In order for you to understand how I could vanquish Voldemort, I have to tell you a little about myself. When I was just one year old, Voldemort tried to kill me after murdering my parents. He used the Avada Kedavra curse, but somehow I was lucky to survive the curse and get away with this scar." He lifted his hair to show his scar.

"Ever since then I've had a connection to Voldemort through this scar," he continued, noticing that everyone was looking at him with apparent interest. "I could often sense his feelings, especially when they were very emotional, like when he was very excited, angry or happy. Recently, I sometimes received visions of him speaking to his Death Eaters, too. That was the reason, why I was able to warn Professor Dumbledore about the attack on Diagon Alley on Halloween."

The Great Hall was absolutely quiet as everyone was eagerly listening as Harry explained about his strategy that had been based on love, finishing with the words, "As you see, it was not only I, who defeated Voldemort, but it was my parents, friends, teachers, and all of you, who gave me all the love that I could summon for the task. Please don't thank me, just thank everyone here at Hogwarts. Thank you." With that he tiredly sat back on his chair.

Severus unobtrusively handed him a phial, causing Harry to cast him a questioning look. "What is it?" he whispered.

"A very strong Pepperup potion. I brewed it for you this afternoon," Severus told him, nodding contentedly when Harry obediently gulped down the potion without as much as a complaint about the awful taste.

Handing the empty phial back, Harry once again turned his attention to the minister, who was speaking again. "Representing the Ministry of Magic, I'd like to present Mr. Harry Pane with the Order of Merlin First class. Please join me for a moment, Mr. Pane."

Harry unenthusiastically stepped over to the Minister, receiving the Order of Merlin for the second time. He shook the Minister's hand, before he returned to his seat, sighing in relief. _'I hope that was all_,' he thought, feeling more and more annoyed at the whole event.

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Several other people held speeches, but Harry tuned them out after a few minutes. '_As long as I don't have to do anything, I don't care_,' he mused, unobtrusively observing his mother in amazement. Finally, Dumbledore rose to speak again.

"Now I have some smaller issues. First of all, I want to thank the students, who have provided us with such a beautiful place for our party. I'd like the responsible students to stand up for a moment."

James, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Lily rose from their seats, receiving a huge applause.

"Furthermore, I'd like to introduce our new Animagi. Please come here one by one so that we can properly admire your beautiful forms."

The students walked by the teachers' and guests' table, so that the Headmaster could introduce them. However, Harry decided to remain seated instead of transforming into Icicle.

When Fawkes came over and queried, #Why don't you change, Icicle?# Harry merely shook his head. He had received more than enough attention for one day.

Before the Minister could ask anything, Dumbledore added, "Let me reassure you that all of them will be properly registered as Animagi with the Ministry of Magic."

The Minister nodded affirmatively, congratulating the Animagi as they walked by.

"And last but not least, I invite all of you to come out to the grounds," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Mr. Daedalus Diggle has promised us a beautiful fireworks display from Hogsmeade just behind the lake that we'll be able to watch from here."

Everyone followed his invitation and moved outside – from the warm, tropical paradise into the snow to watch the fireworks, which were fantastic and lasted almost an hour. Afterwards, everyone hurried back into the warmth of the Great Hall to have a hot cup of cocoa before going to bed. While the students were drinking their cocoa, Dumbledore came over to Harry.

"Harry, there will be a press conference after the students have gone to bed, and I believe that your presence will be required."

Harry groaned. "Do I really have to attend that, Professor? I am so tired; I'd really prefer to go back to bed," he asked, giving his great grandfather a pleading look.

Before Dumbledore could insist on Harry's presence, Severus threw in, "Professor, I've already given Harry a strong Pepperup potion, which I brewed specially for him, but even that has worn off by now; Harry is not well enough to answer the journalists' questions."

Dumbledore gave Harry a sharp look. "All right then, Harry, you may go back to bed. I will talk to the journalists on your behalf. Severus, could you please take Harry to Professor McGonagall and ask her to accompany him to my guest room? Thank you my boy. Good night Harry."

"Severus, will I see you before you go home tomorrow?" Harry asked quietly, feeling very sad at the thought of spending the holidays without his best friend.

Severus cast him a small smile. "Harry, I won't go home for Christmas but will stay here with you. I convinced my parents to let me stay here over the holidays. I'll come to see you in the morning, when everyone else has left."

"All right Severus, thanks," Harry mumbled, gratefully, feeling dead on his feet.

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In the morning, Harry woke up just in time for breakfast. He lazily made his way into the Headmaster's office.

"Good morning my boy. How are you on this fine morning?" the Headmaster greeted him, surprised, while Fawkes let out a series happy trills.

"Fine," Harry replied, trying to hide an expression of annoyance, before he explained, hesitantly, "I'd like to attend breakfast in the Great Hall to say good bye to everyone going home today."

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think you're supposed to go anywhere, but if you're sure you're well enough, you may go."

"Thank you Great Granddad," Harry replied, smiling.

"Harry, there is just one thing that I wanted to talk to you about. You are the only Gryffindor student staying at Hogwarts this year, and since your condition is not back to normal yet, we don't want you to stay in Gryffindor tower alone. Now, there are two possibilities for you to choose. You can either stay here in my guest room, which I don't mind at all, or you can ask Severus if he would be willing to stay in your dormitory with you. Since he is the only sixth year Slytherin staying over Christmas, it wouldn't be a problem. Please think about it and inform either Minerva or me later."

"Thank you Professor. I will discuss it with Severus and tell you at lunchtime at the latest. Oh by the way, since you didn't let me go to Hogsmeade on Saturday, I have to go and buy my Christmas presents sometime before Christmas, early enough to send presents to my friends by owl."

Dumbledore let out a long sigh, before he slowly shook his head. "Harry, at the moment we can't do anything about it; we have to wait until Poppy deems you well enough. As I told you, you're not even supposed to leave your room. When you're allowed to go, maybe sometime during the next week, Minerva will accompany you, or as Voldemort is gone now, maybe you and Severus can go just on your own. We'll talk about it in a few days' time. Now let's go and have breakfast."

Harry sensed his friends' excitement as soon as he approached the Gryffindor table. Suddenly, James asked, "Harry, do you have any plans for the holidays? Do you want to come home with me?"

Harry couldn't believe his ears. _'I'm invited to spend Christmas with my father and grandparents_,' he thought in amazement, before he remembered, "Oh no, I can't. Severus is going to stay here for Christmas, so that I won't be alone at Hogwarts. Therefore, I can't leave the castle. But thanks a lot; I really appreciate your invitation. Maybe another time?"

"Of course Harry, anytime. I'm sorry; I should have asked you earlier," James replied, apologetically.

Sirius was going home with James, too, since he wasn't welcome at his parents' house anymore and the Potters had taken him in a few years ago. Only a few students remained in front of the castle, when the carriages left for the station. It seemed that everyone wanted to enjoy safety and freedom, now that Voldemort was gone.

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Harry and Severus spent the time until lunch in the Room of Requirement, working on one of the potions, which Severus was trying to invent with Harry's help. They still couldn't get the mixture precisely as Harry remembered it, but at least they were making some progress. Realising that there was still time until lunch, they proceeded to set up a holiday schedule including enough time for their assignments and much time for Potions studying.

"Now that we have so much time just for ourselves, maybe we should start working on a potion to send you back," Severus suggested, causing Harry to cast him an uncertain look.

"Severus, I'm willing to assist as much as I can, but I won't be able to help a lot; you know that I'm a total idiot at Potions." He let out a long and deep sigh, before he continued, "The other point is that as much as I'd like to see my friends again, I don't want to lose my friends here. Anyway, I thought I might just stay here until the end of sixth year, and then I'll go back, provided we have found a way by then."

"Believe me, we'll manage to send you back, and you'll have changed the future in such a way that you should be able to meet all of us again as soon as you arrive in the future. At least, I'll always be there for you," Severus reassured him in a soothing voice. "I don't think you're so bad at Potions, by the way. You just didn't have a chance to acquire fundamental knowledge, but I believe that you've improved greatly since we commenced our tutoring."

A small smile played on Harry's lips as he replied, "Yes, I think I know a lot more than before, and I enjoy our Potions tutoring very much. Thank you so much, Severus. All right, we'll try. There is something else, which we need to discuss before lunch by the way." Seeing that Severus eyed him in expectance, Harry explained what Dumbledore had told him earlier.

"I don't mind staying in Gryffindor, when all the Gryffindors have gone home," Severus replied gently.

"Thank you so much," Harry said gratefully, inwardly sighing in relief. "All right then. I promised Dumbledore to inform him at lunchtime."

"That's good; then he'll probably arrange for the house-elves to take my belongings over to your dormitory," Severus replied, glancing at his wrist watch. "It's time to go to the Great Hall anyway."

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They arrived in the Great Hall just in time for lunch. The House tables were gone, and the few people remaining in the castle were all sitting at one round table in the middle of the Hall. Harry earned furious looks from his great grandmother and Madam Pomfrey along with the question, "Where have you been the whole morning?"

Knowing that Harry was again in trouble with the two over-protective witches, Severus replied innocently, "I'm sorry Professors, we have been in the Room of Requirement, working on a potion. Harry didn't do anything strenuous, and we were careful to be back in time for lunch."

Harry decided to not comment on the matter; he merely cast his great grandmother an extremely annoyed glare and tried to focus on his meal.

Dumbledore managed to efficiently change the topic by showing Harry the morning's newspaper, pointing to the headline of the Daily Prophet.

"_The vanquisher of Voldemort – Harry Pane – Grandson of Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall"_

Harry gazed at Dumbledore. "Why did you tell them, sir?" he queried in surprise.

"Because, my dear boy, they kept asking about who your guardians were and questions like that. So in order to stop them speculating, I had to tell them something," the Headmaster said matter-of-factly. "Fortunately, I had spoken to Minerva about this possibility in advance, and since Voldemort is gone now, our relationship doesn't have to remain a secret anymore."

"All right … Granny and Granddad," Harry replied, chuckling.

The first week of their holidays passed in a blink. Between breakfast and lunch, the two boys concentrated on their homework, afterwards Pomfrey insisted that Harry had to take a nap, and the rest of the afternoon and the evening was spent brewing potions.

Finally, it was Friday morning, Christmas Eve, and Harry still hadn't been able to visit Hogsmeade. After breakfast, he told his grandfather, "I'm sorry, Great Granddad, but I just have to go to Hogsmeade today; I have to buy Christmas presents."

"Yes, my boy, I know, but I'm afraid you'll have to ask Poppy about it," Dumbledore replied gently, causing Harry to glare at him.

"No, Granddad. I'm not going to ask," Harry contradicted in a no-nonsense voice. "Madam Pomfrey and Granny are treating me as if I were an infant. I'll flash to Hogsmeade, buy my presents and will be back, before they even notice that I'm gone. Severus, are you coming with me?"

"I'd like to accompany you," Severus readily agreed. "May I go, Professor?"

"You may, but I don't know if Harry has the permission to go," the Headmaster replied, and Harry noticed angrily that his eyes were twinkling in obvious amusement.

"I don't care," Harry said, heatedly. "Let's go, Severus, grab my tail feathers." He transformed into Icicle and flashed away, as soon as he felt that Severus held on to his feathers.

It took the two boys about an hour in Hogsmeade to gather the Christmas presents that Harry wanted to buy for his friends and family. Just when they considered returning to the castle, they noticed a well-known coldness spreading around the village and exchanged a horrified look.

_tbc... _

_Thank you so much for your kind comments - and so sorry for the delay _


	16. Chapter 16

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

"Oh no," Harry groaned, looking around, terrified. "Dementors! I had completely forgotten that they were still around. What are we going to do? It won't be enough to chase them away, but we have to really vanquish them this time. Otherwise, they'll just come back again, because they're starved."

"Well, that might be true, but how are we supposed to fight them?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.

Harry remained pensive for a moment, absentmindedly glancing around, before he pulled his wand and a chocolate frog out of his robe pocket and transfigured the chocolate frog into a huge machine with a large hose on top of it.

"What's that supposed to be, and what is it for?" Severus queried, observing him with obvious amusement.

"Give me some time, and you'll know," Harry replied, mysteriously, smirking as he pointed his wand at the machine. "Sensus humanicus." He suppressed a shiver, noticing that it was getting colder by the minute. "Severus, please go and tell the people to hide in their houses and shops, because the Dementors are approaching the town," he instructed his friend. "This is a vacuum cleaner, which simulates human sense in order to fool the Dementors. And when they come near it, they'll be sucked in, provided that it works."

While Severus dashed away, Harry transfigured five more chocolate frogs into the same kind of machines, putting his spell on them just in time for the first Dementors to arrive. '_This just has to work_,' he thought, carefully looking around. '_If not, I'll just have to chase them away with my Patronus, and we'll have to think about a solution for the next time_.'

"Is everything all right, Harry? Do you think it's going to work?" Severus asked quietly, as he returned to Harry's side.

"I really don't know, but you should transform into your snake form. Animals aren't affected by the Dementors as much as humans. I'm also going to change, as soon as I see that it works and I won't have to cast my Patronus," Harry replied, watching the Dementors' every move.

Severus obliged and immediately transformed. The Dementors headed into Harry's direction, but fortunately the machines worked, already sucking in the first of them.

Feeling utterly relieved, Harry hissed to Severus in Parseltongue, "Severusss, it worksss. Look, it suckss them in."

The snake threw him a menacing glare. "Why are you able to talk to me? And shouldn't you transform as well?"

Harry felt the coldness take over and his mind slowly slipping away. He quickly changed into Icicle, noticing that he felt better immediately. '_How am I supposed to communicate with Severus in this form?_' he mused, trying to speak in Phoenix tongue first.

#Severus, can you hear me?#

Severus was observing the Dementors being sucked into the machines but did not reply. '_Apparently, he doesn't understand me,_' Harry realised. '_Well, we can think about that later._'

In the meantime, nearly all the Dementors had been sucked into the machines. As soon as the last of them vanished, Harry transformed back into his human form, transfigured each of the machines into dragon dung, and scourgified the entire dragon dung.

"All right, they're gone, but I think we need to eat some chocolate," he told Severus, who had changed back in the meantime.

"Harry, you were not supposed to be here, were you?" Severus said with a slightly amused expression on his face. "You'll be in so much trouble tomorrow morning, when two certain ladies get a glance at the front page of the Daily Prophet."

Harry, who was already feeling queasy, turned white. "And why is that? Don't tell me anyone took photographs," he replied, groaning in annoyance.

"They did. Lots of photographs, and since everyone knows you by now, because you saved the village before and vanquished the Dark Lord, you won't be able to deny that you were here," Severus said, calmingly. "Let's hurry back, Harry. Maybe you could flash us back into Dumbledore's office; he'll certainly be able to provide us with some chocolate."

_'That's true,'_ Harry silently agreed and obediently transformed into Icicle.

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In a splash of ice, they arrived back in the Headmaster's office. Seeing in relief that Dumbledore was alone, Harry transformed back into his human form, before he tiredly plopped into a seat. Severus followed his example.

"Sorry Professor for just flashing into your office," Severus apologized politely, causing the Headmaster to look at the boys in concern.

"Although usually I'd not approve it, as I might have guests, today it's not a problem, my boy. I'm glad that you're back without anyone noticing your absence. Is everything all right?" he asked, turning his eyes to Harry.

"Professor, we need some chocolate please. There were Dementors at Hogsmeade," Severus explained shortly.

"Twinkle!" Dumbledore called his house-elf, who appeared in the blink of an eye. "Please bring two cups of hot cocoa and two large pieces of chocolate for the boys."

Within seconds, a cup and a huge piece of chocolate arrived in front of the friends on the table, and Severus and Harry began to gratefully tuck in, sighing in relief as pleasant warmth began to spread through their bodies.

Harry threw his great grandfather a weak smile. "I didn't even think about the fact that the Dementors weren't gone yet, and of course, lucky as I am, they decided to pay Hogsmeade a visit, just when we were there."

Seeing that his great grandfather seemed to be waiting for an explanation and was listening intensely, he continued, "At first, I thought I could just chase them away as usual, but then I knew they'd only come back a few days later, because they had to be hungry and nobody was controlling them."

"I believe that should be correct," Dumbledore agreed, nodding pensively. "What did you do to them? You seem to be more affected than the last time, and you even more than Severus, Harry."

Severus explained about Harry's gigantic vacuum cleaners, before he admitted, "I suppose that you'll be able to see a picture of the scene on the front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning."

The twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes vanished, as his expression turned stern. "Very well. That means that we'll all be in big trouble tomorrow when your great grandmother gets to know of your Hogsmeade visit."

"It's not my fault that I wasn't allowed to go and buy my Christmas presents before," Harry replied in a very upset voice, glaring at his great grandfather.

Severus sneered. "No Professor, we won't be in trouble tomorrow; we'll be in trouble at lunch, as soon as they see Harry, won't we? Look at him, Professor."

Harry's face was white as a sheet, only his cheeks were deeply flushed, and dark rings were surrounding his eyes. Feeling absolutely awful, he objected, "No, Severus, you won't, because I'm going to skip lunch. I'll go and take a nap. You can tell the dragon that I'm going to get my nutrient Potion before curfew."

In a splash of ice, Harry flashed away, leaving Dumbledore and Severus to exchange an exasperated look.

"Oh Severus, how does he manage to always get himself into so much trouble?" Dumbledore asked, sighing as he leaned back in his chair, slowly popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

Severus smirked. "That's something I'd really like to know. I always wondered about that since I first met him."

"Now my boy, what do you think, shall we go to the lion's den, or shall we have lunch here in my office today?"

Severus looked hopefully at the Headmaster. "Would that be possible, sir? I'm not too enthusiastic to meeting your wife right now, considering that Harry won't be there."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Let's have lunch here. They'll be angry anyway, so we can at least eat our lunch in peace."

A few minutes later, they had just began to eat when McGonagall entered the office, her already stern expression turning into an angry frown as she took in the scene of teacher and student having lunch in the office.

"Albus, when there are only ten people for lunch, don't you think everyone will notice when three of them are missing?" she asked sharply, glaring at her husband.

"I'm sorry, Minerva," the Headmaster apologized calmly. "I just had something to discuss with Severus in private, and I thought this might be a good timing."

"And where might I find Harry please?" McGonagall asked sharply, looking from Dumbledore to Severus.

Severus shrugged. "When I met him a few minutes ago, he told me that he wanted to put his things back into his dormitory before lunch. Maybe he fell asleep?" he quickly lied.

"Ah, but why don't you at least have lunch first, Minerva? Harry will be all right; I'm sure he is somewhere in the castle," Dumbledore added, knowing only too well that his wife wouldn't give up before he had found the child.

"Don't give me that, Albus. You know exactly that Harry isn't supposed to miss meals."

"Oh oh, she's getting upset. Poor Harry," Severus commented as soon as the professor had left the office.

A short while later, McGonagall returned, looking extremely angry. "Could one of you please be so kind and explain what happened?"

Dumbledore and Severus looked up from their meal in surprise, wearing extremely innocent expressions.

"Harry is sitting on his bed in his phoenix form, fast asleep with his head turned backwards, and huddled under a mountain of blankets. What happened, and what's wrong with him?" McGonagall asked in a voice, which normally was reserved for students coming to serve detention.

The two culprits frowned, glancing helplessly at each other. "Ah, he will be all right, Minerva, go and have lunch, my dear," the Headmaster inefficiently tried to calm his wife.

"Albus, I want to know what is wrong," McGonagall reprimanded him sternly. "Severus, have you been together with Harry this morning?"

"Yes Professor."

"And what have you been doing?"

"Minerva, dear," Dumbledore interrupted her, "don't make yourself so upset. Everything is fine, believe me."

"Then why can't Severus tell me what they have been doing this morning, and why is your great grandson skipping lunch again in spite of our instructions?" The deputy professor's voice began to get louder.

Dumbledore let out a sigh of defeat. "You know, Minerva; last Saturday we had the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas, didn't we? But I was afraid to let Harry go, so that he had to spent the day here."

"And?" his wife asked impatiently, glaring at her husband.

"Harry had to go and buy his Christmas presents," the Headmaster continued in a calm voice.

"And you let him go without Poppy's consent? You are extremely irresponsible, Albus," McGonagall said, disapprovingly. "But that still doesn't explain what is wrong with Harry."

"Minerva, I did not let him go," Dumbledore objected, slightly offended. "I told him that he was probably not allowed to go, but he should ask you or Poppy. But he insisted that he wasn't going to ask but would flash there and come back immediately. Therefore, I only allowed Severus to go to Hogsmeade, but not Harry. And when they were in Hogsmeade, the Dementors showed up again, so Harry vanquished them forever." He told her the whole story, noticing in relief that her features slightly softened.

Then Severus added, "And finally he transfigured the vacuum cleaners into dragon dung and scourgified it." Severus and Albus chuckled.

Even McGonagall could not prevent herself from smiling in spite of still being extremely upset. "So what's wrong with Harry?" she asked in concern. "Was he affected by the Dementors, or did he use too much magic again?"

"He was affected by the Dementors," Severus explained in a soft voice.

"And none of you thought about taking him to the hospital wing?" McGonagall asked angrily.

"He just flashed away, Minerva, what could we have done?" Dumbledore countered helplessly. "I thought we could just let him go and check on him later."

"I would have thought at least you would be more responsible, Severus," McGonagall replied, disappointment clearly written on her face.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I believe that Harry is on the verge of having nightmares about the hospital wing, so I agreed to just let him rest now. Please don't be angry, Mam; Harry is so happy here and just wants to enjoy his time here now."

"But nevertheless he can't do what he wants even without permission," the Gryffindor Head objected sternly. "Severus, you will be grounded for the rest of the day for going with Harry although he was not allowed to go. Please stay in the dormitory with Harry. I'll send up Poppy for Harry later, and I shall instruct a house-elf to bring dinner for you. And Albus, you won't get any more lemon drops until Christmas," she added, completely ignoring the disappointed expression spreading on her husband's face at her announcement. "Regarding Harry's punishment I will come to your dormitory and have a word with him tonight," she threatened with a particularly angry look on her face.

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On Christmas morning, Harry woke up very early. He transformed into Icicle and enjoyed an early morning flight over the grounds that were covered with snow and looked marvellous. '_Such a pity that I'm grounded until the end of the holidays_,' he thought, sadly. '_It would be so much fun to have a huge snowball fight with all students and teachers, who are here over the holidays_.'

Harry flashed back into the dormitory several times to see if Severus was awake, and finally his friend stirred.

"Good morning, Sev, and Happy Christmas!" Harry said happily.

Severus tiredly smiled back. "Merry Christmas to you too, Harry. Did you already open your presents?"

"No, I was waiting for you to wake up, and in the meanwhile, I transformed and went for a small flight. No one will be able to notice me against the snow," he chuckled.

"Oh Harry stop it, don't get yourself in even more trouble," Severus said in utter annoyance. "Shall we open our presents?"

It was Harry's first Christmas since he had entered Hogwarts with eleven without receiving a Weasley sweater, but probably the second Christmas in his life with a present from his mother. Lily had sent him a broom polishing kit. '_Just like Hermione_,' he thought happily. In James' package, he found a book on famous wizards; Sirius had sent him a Defence book and Remus a large package of assorted chocolates from Honeydukes. From Severus he received a Potions book, and from his great grandparents a Pensieve, a very nice robe and a really warm, fluffy coat, each in a very pretty green that matched his eyes. Poppy gave him a book about Healing for beginners.

Finally, there was only an envelope left. '_What might that be?_' Harry wondered. Carefully opening the envelope, he saw a card with just one sentence on it, stating, '_You are not grounded on Christmas day. Enjoy yourself and stay out of trouble. Granny._'

"YEEEAAAHH!" Harry cheered.

Severus eyed him in surprise. "Harry? Are you all right?"

"Yes! Sev, I'm not grounded today, so that we can have a proper snowball fight! That's so cool!" He showed Severus the card from his Head of House.

Severus chuckled. It was good to see his best friend so happy. "Anyway, we have to go and attend breakfast in three minutes, otherwise you'll be grounded again," he sneered, while he hurried to pull his robes over.

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At breakfast, Harry turned to his great grandmother. "Granny, I challenge you to a snowball fight after breakfast."

McGonagall laughed. "Very well, Harry, but let me warn you, I'm better at snowball fights than you might think."

Harry smiled. "Who else is coming? Grandfather? Severus? Madam Pomfrey? Susan? Jack?" he invited everyone else.

Finally, everyone headed outside for a huge snowball fight on the grounds, which looked beautiful in the sunshine.

Harry stepped over to his friend and whispered, "Severus, we have to decide on a tactic. We should play together and always attack a group of two or three of them at the same time."

Severus nodded reluctantly. "If I must play at all, then you have to tell me what to do."

In the end, the two friends were fighting against Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Professor Dumbledore had been overwhelmed by the two Slytherin 5th years, who had concentrated on attacking the Headmaster.

Harry whispered to Severus with a mischievous expression on his face, "Wait a moment, stay far away from them and watch!" He suddenly transformed into Icicle, so that he could barely be seen on the snowy ground, flew over just in front of the two women, and flashed back to Severus, leaving the two witches in a huge splash of ice. Everyone except for the two women nearly fell into the snow laughing.

"And the winners are…." announced Dumbledore, "Severus Snape and Harry Pane. Congratulations my boys! Thanks everyone for a very nice game, and now let's head into the Great Hall and have a hot cup of cocoa before lunch."

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Harry and Severus spent the rest of the day reading their new books in the Gryffindor common room, tired from the snowball fight and from eating too much of the delicious main courses and desserts, which the house-elves had prepared for Christmas dinner. Harry had enjoyed the day very much and felt extremely grateful towards his great grandmother for allowing him to participate in the snowball fight that had been so much fun.

It was nearly curfew when Severus noticed that something was wrong with Harry. He unobtrusively cast a curious look in his friend's direction, noticing that he seemed to be on the verge of crying.

"Harry, what's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing, Severus, I'm fine," Harry replied, giving his friend a small fake smile, which didn't reach his eyes.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind feedback for the previous chapters!_


	17. Chapter 17

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

When Harry and Severus returned to the common room from Christmas dinner, Harry suddenly noticed just how quiet the normally lively room was and could not help thinking of Ginny, Ron and Hermione. '_I wonder what they're doing right now_?' he mused, only to realize, '_No, that's stupid; they're not even alive_.' With this thought, he felt homesick for the first time in his life.

Severus observed his best friend in concern. "I know that it's late, but I'd like to go and brew a potion," he finally spoke up in an attempt to distract Harry. "Would you care to join me?"

Brewing a potion was about the last thing, which Harry wanted to do on Christmas day, but the thought of remaining alone in the much too quiet Gryffindor tower was not overly attractive either, and Harry hesitantly decided to join his friend in the Potions classroom.

Severus gathered the necessary ingredients, placing them on the table in front of Harry, before he queried, "Harry, would you mind helping me to prepare these?"

Harry shrugged and obediently began to cut and crunch the ingredients according to Severus' instructions, musing, '_I'd love to see the future Professor Snape's face if he knew that I'm brewing potions at eleven p.m. on Christmas day_.'

Severus, who was closely watching his friend, grinned inwardly. He had efficiently managed to distract Harry from whatever had been bothering him before. An hour later, the potion was finished and bottled, and Severus cleaned their work space with a flick of his wand.

"Very well, Harry, shall we return to the dormitory?" Severus finally suggested, and they quietly made their way back to Gryffindor.

However, the nearer they came to the common room, the more Harry's feelings from earlier returned, and by the time they reached the dormitory, his eyes were filling with tears again.

HP

Severus shot his friend a knowing glance, handed him a phial of the potion, which they had just brewed, and motioned him to drink up, shaking his head in exasperation when Harry downed the potion without even questioning what it was.

'_He can't have recognized it, because it's a new mutation of the calming draught that I just invented last week_,' he mused. '_Well, at least it helped_,' he realized, glancing at his much calmer friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Severus asked gently, eying the other boy in concern.

"Sorry Severus, I'm fine," Harry replied softly. "It's just so quiet here, and all of a sudden, I had to think about my friends in the future, and when I thought about what they might be doing right now, I realized that they don't even exist at this time. I think I'll just go to bed. Thank you for trying to distract me and for the potion. It really helped."

With that, Harry went to bed, completely ignoring the knock that could be heard at the door. An instant later, his great grandmother entered the room, wearing a very upset expression.

"Where have you been after curfew tonight?" she queried, sounding very angry, as she eyed the boys in disdain.

"I'm sorry Professor," Severus replied, waving the teacher over to his side of the room. "Harry was homesick, and I thought it would be the best to distract him and brew a calming draught for him at the same time. Therefore, we made a short excursion to the Potions classroom and brewed my newest invention, which seems to be quite efficient, considering that he drifted off to sleep within seconds," he explained, smirking.

Harry did not hear anything of the conversation. He was fast asleep, dreaming of Christmas at Hogwarts with phoenixes and snakes doing snowball fights against cats and other animals.

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The second week of the holidays passed very fast, and in no time, the other students came back. As much as Harry had enjoyed the quiet time together with Severus, during which he learned a lot about Potions, he was happy to see his parents again. Not only classes as well as all the tutoring and extra classes began again, but also Quidditch practice, which Harry especially enjoyed, since he had not been allowed to fly after the near-fatal Quidditch match against Slytherin in December. Of course he had secretly been flying as Icicle, but roaming the Quidditch pitch on a broom was just different from flying as a bird.

The next match involving Gryffindor was against Ravenclaw, and since it was scheduled for the beginning of May, the team had a lot of time to practise. However, James was determined to win the Quidditch cup at any cost.

"I don't care if it's dark and cold. I want Gryffindor to receive the Quidditch cup at the end of the school year, so hurry up everyone. Or don't you want to win?" James shouted at the team members one evening, when it had been continuously snowing for hours and the Quidditch players felt as if their limbs were going to freeze.

"James," Harry hesitantly spoke up, addressing his father. "The match against Ravenclaw will be in May, so I don't think we really need so much practice in the snow." '_As much as I love to fly, I don't want to catch a cold again because of playing Quidditch in the snow for hours, especially as I seem to easily catch colds recently_,' he mused, sighing in relief when James reluctantly released them.

The rest of the team nodded their agreement, casting Harry grateful looks.

"Yes prongs," Sirius agreed. "Let's head inside and warm up!"

"Thanks Harry," Frank whispered when they entered the changing rooms.

"No problem," Harry replied, mischievously. "I had to leave anyway, because my private lesson with Dumbledore is going to begin in fifteen minutes."

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Every Sunday afternoon, Harry and Severus met in the Potions classroom to search for a potion that would send Harry back to the future. Harry had spoken with his great grandparents, who promised that they wouldn't force him to return to the future as soon as the potion was ready, but that he could remain in the past until the end of the school year. When the other students would leave for the summer holidays, he would go to the future for another sixth year, provided that they had already found a way to send him back.

So far, they had not made as much as the slightest progress. Harry managed to stay relatively relaxed, knowing that they still had several months and that the best Potions Master of this time AND of his own time was working on it. In the worst case, he would just be stuck here as friend of his parents and future teachers. Things could definitely be worse.

One Sunday, as soon as Harry entered the classroom, Severus said eagerly, "Harry, I thought about something."

Harry looked at his friend in amusement. His friend, whom normally nothing could unsettle, seemed to be quite excited.

"So far, I only thought of fluid potions, but perhaps we could try to make a powder like Floo powder to be used in a fireplace," Severus explained thoughtfully.

"Wow, that's a great idea. Do you think it'll work though?" Harry queried, eyeing his friend in surprise.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Of course it'll work," he replied, smirking. "The only tiny problem is that we still have to invent the powder. Don't forget that, before you make yourself too excited."

"Oh, right," Harry replied dully. "Do you have any idea how Floo powder is made at all?"

Severus nodded. "Of course I have researched that. Floo powder is made of fairy dust and essence of whirlwind, and these are both ingredients, which you can find at any apothecary."

Harry eyed his friend in respect. '_He's really brilliant_,' he thought in amazement.

"I already sent an owl to the apothecary at Hogsmeade, and the ingredients should arrive any time now," Severus continued, peering into the cauldron, where a lime green potion was simmering.

"Will an owl be able to find you here in the dungeons though?" Harry asked curiously.

Severus smirked, pointing to a small flap at the very upper part of the wall. "Do you know what this flap is for?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow in clear amusement.

"No." Harry shook his head, curiously turning his gaze upwards.

"Behind this flap is a channel in the wall, leading straight to the owlery. Actually, there is a whole system of channels behind the walls. Each room in the dungeon is connected to the main channel, so that we can receive mail everywhere in the dungeons," Severus explained, patiently.

"Wow, what a cool system," Harry said, feeling very impressed. '_I never thought about how people were able to get their mail down here, but it's a brilliant system_.' Turning his eyes back to his friend, he asked, "So what are we going to do now?"

"I'm not exactly sure how to proceed," Severus replied pensively. "Of course we have to do a few tests concerning the interactions of Floo powder and other ingredients, but we must also do a lot of research in the library."

"And I would probably be more efficient in the library than here," Harry added, smirking.

"Yes, probably," Severus admitted. "However, I have to do some research as well, and I'll also need your help with the potions, because we'll have to run lots of tests."

"How will we be able to test if it works?"

"That won't be a problem. We can use rats and use the Potions classroom's fireplace to send them from today to tomorrow. That's about the easiest part of our project."

Harry eyed his friend in awe. '_He is incredible, and he never ceases to surprise me,_' he thought.

"Close your mouth, Harry. You need to be creative; otherwise you won't be able to invent anything," Severus sneered.

Harry laughed. "I'm not planning on inventing anything. That's what I have you for," he replied, smirking.

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During the next weeks, the two friends spent every free minute in the library. Unfortunately, they were so engrossed in their research that Harry began to miss meals again, much to the displeasure of this great grandmother, who dragged him to the hospital wing each night for his nutrient potion.

"Can't I just get the potion with my breakfast? I hate having to go to the dragon, and it's such a waste of time. I need the time for my homework and my studies. You know that my research with Severus takes a lot of time," he told his Head of House in absolute annoyance.

"No Harry," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "You know exactly when the meal times are, and you're supposed to observe them. I'd prefer having you here for another year than sending you back even thinner and unhealthier than you were before. I expect you to improve your behaviour."

Harry sighed and averted his eyes to the floor, knowing that he was not able to promise anything.

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One day, Lily looked at Harry in concern and enquired, "What is it that you're researching all the time? You barely spend any time in the common room anymore."

"Ah, Severus and I are doing a special project for Potions, and for that we have to research the interactions of Floo powder with other possible potions ingredients," Harry replied quickly.

The Marauders eyed him in disbelief. "And why, please, should that be more interesting than playing pranks on the Slytherins with us?" Sirius queried.

Harry chuckled, thinking '_Only Sirius can ask such a question._' But he resolved to spend more time with the Gryffindors during the next months. '_Maybe I can get them to do some research as well. As far as I know, the Marauders' Map was made in the Marauders' sixth year, but so far, I haven't seen or heard anything about it, and since Peter isn't here anymore, maybe they'll need help this time_.'

"If you want to do some research as well, how about producing a map of Hogwarts that shows every person in the castle? It would be great for playing pranks if you could see exactly where people were and who was nearby," he suggested to his friends.

"HARRY!" James pulled him in an embrace. "That's the best idea you've ever had. Cool!"

"But unfortunately, your help will be required as well," Remus added, wearing a mischievous smile.

"Yes, I was afraid of that," Harry replied, grinning. "We'll probably have to make use of my abilities to flash anywhere, as well as of Lily's abilities to fly."

"How about we ask Severus for help as well? As a snake he'll be able to reach places we'd never have access to," Lily suggested.

"Oh, I don't think he'll have time for it, because he seems to be even busier than me with the Potions research," Harry countered in a weak attempt to keep Lily closer to James than to Severus.

"You could ask him anyway. But when and where could we meet with him?" James enquired. "We don't want the whole castle to know about it."

"We could meet every Wednesday after Quidditch practice as well as every Saturday night after dinner in the Room of Requirement," Harry suggested, promising to speak with Severus the next day.

As Harry could have imagined, Severus was eager to help with the map, and so the six students started working on examining the castle's passages two nights a week. Fortunately, his great grandmother had finally deemed him able to control his magic, so that he didn't need their private lessons anymore. '_Thank Merlin_,' Harry thought, sighing in relief. '_Otherwise, I'd have problems finding time for my normal homework_.'

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Several weeks later, when Harry slipped into the empty seat next to Severus right before the beginning of their Charms class, he noticed that Severus seemed very frustrated.

"Severus, what's wrong?" he whispered, glad that Professor Flitwick had not entered the classroom yet.

Severus let out a long sigh. "Over the last few weeks, I did a lot of tests concerning the interaction of Floo powder with various plants and herbs. Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that it's not possible to mix them. All the potions, which I tried to brew with a combination of the essence of whirlwind and some kind of plant or herb, exploded at some stage of the brewing process," he finally replied, thoughtfully running a hand through his silky hair.

"Ooops," Harry commented, sharing his friend's disappointment.

"Therefore, the only chance that it might work will be if we mix it with certain ingredients of animals, but the problem is that we probably won't be able to use non-magical animals, because the fairy dust can only be combined with magical plants or animals."

"And is that a problem?" Harry interrupted his friend, throwing him a questioning glance.

Severus stared at his friend in disbelief. "From where do you think we'll be able to get ingredients from magical animals?" he queried. "The only magical animal we have access to is a phoenix, but as far as I know phoenix feathers or even phoenix tears are only useful in healing potions. We'll have to do a lot more research, before we'll be able to come up with something."

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In the middle of the night, Harry was suddenly wide-awake. '_The Basilisk; that's a magical animal, and it's still alive at this time,_' he thought, excitedly. He hurriedly transformed into Icicle, imagined Severus sleeping in his bed in the Slytherin dormitory, and flashed over to his friend. He changed into his human form, putting a strong Silencing and a Notice-me-not spell around Severus' bed, before he roused his friend.

"Harry! What's wrong? What are you doing here? Are you ill?" Severus queried in obvious concern.

"No, Severus, listen, I just remembered something. Did you ever hear about the Chamber of Secrets? There is a basilisk in the Chamber, and we have access to it. We could use ingredients from the basilisk, couldn't we?"

Severus listened, stunned. "Is it still alive?" he enquired, worriedly.

"Yes, of course. I killed it in my second year, so it must still be alive now."

"You killed it? How? Do you know dangerous that was? You could have easily been killed," Severus told Harry in exasperation.

"Yes I know that, but there was nothing else I could do in that situation," Harry replied, impatiently. "Voldemort let it lose on me and a good friend of mine. Fawkes even helped me and saved my life."

Severus sighed. "Very well," he said finally. "However, first of all I don't know yet if we can use basilisk's ingredients, and secondly we must speak with your great grandfather about the chamber. He'll probably be able to advise us what we can do. Let's go back to sleep, Harry; we'll talk to him tomorrow."

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Harry flashed back to his own bed and was soon engulfed in dreams about basilisks with huge yellow eyes. However, due to the excitement, he was soon awake again and decided to visit Fawkes. He flashed over to the Headmaster's office, noticing that Fawkes was asleep but that his great grandfather was already sitting behind his desk reading the Daily Prophet.

"Good morning Harry; you're very early today," Dumbledore greeted him gently, offering a lemon drop, which Harry politely denied after quickly changing back into his human form.

Harry told his great grandfather about their research and the problem that they encountered as well as about the Chamber of Secrets and the events, which occurred in his second year at Hogwarts.

The Headmaster eyed Harry thoughtfully. "Do you know that the chamber has been opened before, a girl has been killed, and Hagrid has been accused of it, wrongly as I've always presumed?" he enquired, while his expression grew stern.

"Yes, Great Granddad. It was Tom Riddle, who opened the chamber at that time. Hagrid wouldn't have been able to do it at all, because only a Parselmouth is able to open the chamber," Harry replied firmly, absentmindedly stroking Fawkes' head feathers.

"Is that so Harry? Can you prove it and would you be willing to do so in order to confirm Hagrid's innocence? I don't know if he would want to continue his studies again, but at least he'd be allowed to carry a wand again."

Harry let out a long sigh. "I don't like people knowing that I'm a Parselmouth, but I'd do anything for Hagrid. He was not only the first friend I had, but he was also the first, who gave me a birthday present and even baked a birthday cake for me. For whom would I want to do something if not for him?"

"Very well, my boy. I'm very proud of you," Dumbledore said, pleasantly. "I'll speak to Alastor Moody about this. Maybe we'll have to tell him about the fact that you came from the future in order to ask the Aurors for help with killing a basilisk that nobody is supposed to know of. We should vanquish the basilisk, before anyone else has the idea to open the chamber."

"No, Great Grandfather, wait a moment, please. We won't need help with the basilisk, not only because I managed to kill him on my own before, only with the help of Fawkes and the sword of Gryffindor, but because I'm a phoenix now. The basilisk can't kill me when I'm in my phoenix form, and I'll be able to look into those big yellow eyes without danger. I'll just pick the eyes out first, and then I can change back and kill him as I did the last time. You, Severus, and whomever you deem fit to join us will even be able to help me to fight it." Harry jumped up from his chair, excitedly.

"That sounds quite reasonable, Harry. Would you mind if I told Professor Flitwick the truth about you? I'd put him under a charm so that he wouldn't be able to talk about where you come from like I did with Severus."

"Great Grandfather, if you think it's necessary or helpful to inform someone, it's fine with me. Just don't forget to obliviate them afterwards. And after we have killed the basilisk and collected all the potions ingredients that Severus can use, you can talk to the Aurors or whomever about Hagrid."

Dumbledore thoughtfully stroked his beard. "I suggest that we don't speak about the matter to your great grandmother for the moment, because she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore worrying about you."

Harry couldn't help laughing. "Speaking of Granny… I have to run for breakfast. Thanks for your advice and everything, Great Granddad, bye."

Although he was already late for breakfast, he took his time to walk by the Slytherin table to exchange a few words with Severus, before he made his way to the Gryffindor table, well aware of the stern eyes watching him from the Head table.

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A few days later, McGonagall approached Harry during breakfast. "Mr. Pane, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to you and Mr. Snape tonight after dinner."

"But Professor, we have Quidditch practice," Sirius protested immediately.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to practise without your Seeker today," the Gryffindor Head of House replied sharply.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews for the previous chapter and sorry for the delay!_


	18. Chapter 18

**The Changed Time Line**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

After dinner, Harry and Severus made their way to the Headmaster's office, ending up at the gargoyle. Harry let out a groan upon realizing, '_McGonagall forgot to tell us the password_.'

"Chocolate frogs, gummy bears, mars bars, snickers, liquorice wands, cookies, lemon drops, basilisk drops," the boys kept guessing until the gargoyle finally opened.

The two friends curiously glanced around, seeing that apart from the Headmaster, Professor Flitwick, Mad Eye Moody and to Harry's surprise James Potter's father were assembled. Harry stared at his grandfather in amazement, before he saw that the man curiously returned his gaze.

Noticing the looks, which the two Potters exchanged, Dumbledore chuckled and said, his eyes twinkling merrily, "Mr. Potter, may I introduce you to your grandson, my great grandson, who came from the future to visit us, Mr. Harry Potter AKA Harry Pane. Harry, as you'll probably know, this is your grandfather."

"What!" Mr. Potter exclaimed, obviously shocked by the news, but Harry smiled happily at his grandfather.

He went over to Mr. Potter, holding out his hand. "Hello Grandfather, I'm very happy to meet you."

Mr. Potter fiercely shook Harry's hand. "My grandson you are! And you look exactly like James with the exception of your beautiful green eyes. I'm more than glad to meet you, and you'll have to visit us at Potter Manor, while you're here. Your grandmother will be very excited to see you."

Dumbledore finally interrupted the two Potters' conversation. "We've met here to discuss how to get rid of the basilisk, which according to Harry is hidden in the Chamber of Secrets. Only for this reason I told you about Harry, and please note that I have to obliviate you about everything concerning the future before Harry leaves us again, probably in the summer."

At this point, Harry chimed in, "May I suggest something based on my experiences vanquishing the basilisk last time? I should first go into the chamber alone, rouse the basilisk and transform into my phoenix form immediately. No one can go with me, because any person, who looked in the eyes of the basilisk, would die immediately, but in my phoenix form, I'll be fine and can pick out the basilisk's eyes. Afterwards, I'll call you, and you can come down as well. If Fawkes doesn't mind, I'd like to ask him to accompany me though."

#Of course, no problem, Icicle, I'd love to accompany you and help.#

"Fawkes already gave me his consent, thanks Fawkes," Harry quickly explained to the others, before he continued, "The last time I fought the basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor, which was hidden in the Sorting Hat that came to my aide."

"You can use the sword anytime, because you are the heir of Gryffindor, just as myself, but how did you know that the sword was in there?" Dumbledore queried curiously.

"I had no idea," Harry admitted. "Fawkes brought the Hat to me, and when I put my hand in, I suddenly held the sword in my hand. Maybe I could take the sword with me in the first place and try to kill him the same way. But I think it would be good if you all help me cast a stunning spell at the beast before I attack him."

Severus was the first to speak. "Of course we'll do that, but I have another idea. We could all send our Patroni towards the basilisk, before trying the stunning spell, or do they really only work against Dementors?"

"I'm not sure about the Patronus charm; I haven't heard it other than in connection with Dementors," Flitwick said pensively, "but on the other hand it's a strong charm of the light used against the dark, while the basilisk is an animal considered as utmost dark, so perhaps it'll work. We should try it anyway; I believe that Mr. Snape's idea is very good. Are you all capable of producing a corporate Patronus?"

"Yes," everyone replied simultaneously.

"And", Dumbledore added, thoughtfully, "are you all willing to assist Harry in vanquishing the basilisk, although it could put you in a lot of danger?"

"Yes," they answered unanimously.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, contentedly. "That leaves us to decide when we're going to set our plan into action. For the basilisk I'm sure it won't matter, but we," he cast a meaningful look at Harry, "have to be really well rested when we access the chamber. Therefore, I'd suggest Sunday morning. What do you think?"

"Sunday would be good. Then we have the whole day to fight and to recover in case we need it," Mr. Potter agreed, causing the others to express their consent.

"All right. Then we should meet here right after breakfast," Dumbledore decided. "Harry and Severus, I expect you to take it easy on Saturday. No Quidditch, no studying through mealtimes, and nothing else strenuous. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied with an expression of utmost annoyance.

"All right Professor," Severus conceded, "but I have one more point to discuss. We have to take out some of the basilisk venom immediately after we kill the basilisk, because there are certain potions, which require fresh basilisk venom. All the other ingredients can be harvested later on. Just in case Harry and I were both injured, could someone take care of that, please?"

"And what do we have to do with the fresh venom? Isn't that dangerous?" Harry enquired, anxiously eyeing his friend.

"It is dangerous," Severus emphasized. "We have to be very careful, and I'm going to bring several pairs of protective gloves as well as a few phials to bottle the venom. Nothing has to be done about it, it just has to be taken and bottled freshly."

"Don't worry; we'll take care of it. It'll only take a few minutes if you can get everything else later on," Moody promised.

With this, the two students were dismissed and returned to their common rooms, trying hard to wipe all traces of excitement from their faces. Saturday passed in a blur. Harry and Severus spent the whole afternoon together with the Marauders and Lily, lying in the grass near the lake making plans for the Marauders' Map.

"By the way, Severus and I won't be around tomorrow. Don't look for us; we have something to do for Dumbledore," Harry told them to prevent his friends from searching for him and worrying.

"For Dumbledore? What might that be?" Remus asked, throwing Harry an enquiring look.

"Well, I have an idea, but I'm not sure what to expect. Ask me later, then I'll be able to tell you," Harry replied hesitantly, knowing that his friends would worry too much if he told them the truth. After dinner, he went straight to bed, downed the dreamless sleep potion, which Severus had unobtrusively handed him, and fell into a deep sleep until the following morning.

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After breakfast, Harry and Severus headed to Dumbledore's office to meet with the others.

"All right," the Headmaster said after greeting them and offering a round of lemon drops. "Fawkes and Harry, please flash us to the entrance of the chamber."

Harry transformed into Icicle, and he and Fawkes flashed the other five people down to Myrtle's bathroom.

"So, Fawkes and I will fly down first. I'll call you as soon as it's safe for you to come down, and if I encounter any problems, Fawkes will come and fetch you," Harry once more explained to the others.

"All right Harry, please be extremely careful," his great grandfather admonished him in concern, the usual twinkle missing from his eyes.

"I will," Harry promised, before he hissed at the sink in Parseltongue, "Open."

While the entrance to the chamber opened, Harry once again transformed into Icicle, and he and Fawkes flew down into the chamber. The basilisk was nowhere to be seen, so that Harry changed back into his human form, hissing, "Come on, big snake, wake up you lazybonesss." That said, he changed back into Icicle immediately.

#There!# Fawkes trilled, and Harry saw the huge basilisk appear.

The two phoenixes immediately headed for its head. On the way Fawkes trilled, #You take the right eye, I'll take the left one.#

#Okay,# Harry trilled back, already beginning to attack the snake. It was more difficult than he had thought, because the snake moved its big head wildly around in order to bite them, and it took the two phoenixes about thirty minutes of a dangerous fight, before both eyes of the basilisk were gone.

#Fawkes, can you go and fetch the others? In the meantime, I'll transform back and enlarge the sword.#

#All right Icicle, I'll be back in a flash,# Fawkes trilled and flashed away.

Harry changed back. He took the sword out of this pocket and tapped it with his wand to enlarge it, just when the others arrived behind him. Harry cast them a relieved glance, but unfortunately, the basilisk used the instant of inattentiveness to snap at him and make a small bite in his left arm. Harry decided to ignore the matter for the moment and take care of it later. He summoned as much magic as he could to produce his phoenix Patronus, ordering him to fight the snake. The others followed his example, and soon several white Patroni were running over to the basilisk.

"All right, let's stun it on three," Harry shouted, and together, they waved their wands, casting the strongest possible stunning spell at the snake. The basilisk was still moving, but at least its movements had become a bit slower.

Harry now took the sword, shouting, "Get out of the way." He run around for a while, stabbing the snake here and there, while the others were continuously casting stunning spells, which unfortunately only worked so much. Finally, he managed to kill the basilisk, after being bitten several more times. '_I'm just too clumsy today_,' he mused, turning to the others as soon as the basilisk slumped down to the ground.

"It's dead. Now, Severus, which parts of it do we have to take now?" he asked, urgently.

The others ran over, looking at Harry in concern. "Harry, are you all right?" Dumbledore enquired worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine, although the beast bit me a few times," Harry admitted. "I need Fawkes to come and heal the wounds."

Fawkes flew over to Harry immediately.

"Albus, you and Harry stay here, Potter, Snape, Moody, and I will take out the venom," Flitwick suggested.

"All right, thank you Filius," Dumbledore agreed, causing Harry to sigh in relief.

Fawkes made himself comfortable on Harry's right arm, letting his Healing tears drop in each of the wounds that the basilisk had applied to Harry's skin.

'_It feels really good_,' Harry mused, but nevertheless he noticed that his mind was slowly beginning to slip. '_Maybe some of the venom already managed to get into my blood stream_,' he thought, anxiously. Knowing that he urgently needed medical help, he tried to transform into Icicle, hoping that it would help to be in his phoenix form, but as much as he tried, he wasn't able to transform. '_Maybe I've once again depleted my magic, so that I can't even transform_,' he thought in desperation.

In the meantime, the others returned from their task of gathering the ingredients. For Severus, the dead Basilisk obviously was the best that could have happened, until he took in Harry's white face.

"Sevvus, need antidote venom…" Harry managed to mumble, before he lost consciousness.

"Severus, can you make an antidote to the venom? Maybe together with Professor Slughorn?" Dumbledore asked urgently.

"Of course I can make it, especially as I'm in possession of the venom, but it'll take about one and a half hours to brew. I don't need Professor Slughorn. On the contrary, it'll be easier to brew on my own. Please take Harry to the hospital wing and keep him cool. Try to keep him awake at any cost," Severus replied urgently, already sorting the ingredients he would need for the potion in his head.

"Fawkes, please flash Severus to the Potions classroom straight away and then come back for the rest of us," Dumbledore ordered his familiar, causing Fawkes to flash away and return in a bright flash. Seconds later, they found themselves back in Myrtle's bathroom.

"I'm afraid we have to wake up Harry to close the chamber," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, pointing his wand at Harry. "Enervate."

Harry blinked, feeling too miserable to open his eyes. "Harry, you have to close the chamber again please," he heard the Headmaster's voice and tiredly mumbled, "close."

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Dumbledore thanked the three others and dismissed them, before Fawkes took Harry and him to the hospital wing. Gently lowering Harry on his favourite bed, he went looking for Madam Pomfrey, whom he finally found at lunch in the Great Hall.

Hearing the Headmaster's explanation, Pomfrey hurried back to the hospital wing, closely followed by a very upset McGonagall. The Mediwitch waved her wand over Harry, causing her expression to turn very serious.

"His pulse is very week, and his temperature is life threatening high. If Severus doesn't hurry up, I'm afraid he won't make it. How long did he say will it take to make the antidote?"

"About an hour from now," Dumbledore replied gently. "He said we should keep him cool and try to keep him awake, before he went to brew the Potion."

"Let's put him into a bathtub and wake him up," the Healer agreed pensively. With a flick of her wand, the bed was transfigured into a bathtub with lukewarm water.

"Can't we just let him sleep? He must feel absolutely awful," McGonagall queried in concern.

"No Minnie. His body has to fight the poison, and this will be more efficient when he is awake," her friend explained, before she pointed her wand at Harry. "Enervate."

Harry blinked. '_It's cold. Where am I_?' he wondered, feeling horrible.

His great grandmother gently took his hand into her own, cool hand, enquiring, "Harry, dear, can you tell me what happened?"

Harry leaned into the touch of her cool hand and answered, "Don't know, have to fight big snake, Sevvus wants Potions ingredients. Tom can't have Ginny, she's MY girlfriend…"

The three adults eyed each other worriedly. "He's delirious. What can we do, Poppy, Albus?" McGonagall asked, eyeing her great grandson in utmost concern.

"I'm afraid we can't do anything at the moment, Minerva. Harry, everything is all right, you don't have to do anything, just lie there and relax," Poppy told the boy in a calming voice.

"It's so cold, Granny, help me," Harry mumbled miserably, causing Pomfrey to transfigure the bathtub back to a bed after taking his temperature again.

"He is a little cooler, but we have to watch him closely until Severus comes with the potion," she informed the others. However, when she pointed her wand at his head again half an hour later, her colleagues noticed, terrified, that the always calm Mediwitch slightly began to panic. "I hope Severus hurries up, otherwise he won't make it much longer," she said in a grave voice.

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After a seemingly infinite amount of time, they heard the door to the hospital wing open with a 'bang', and Severus dashed into the room, carrying a potions phial. He handed the phial to Pomfrey, who immediately spelled the content straight into Harry's system.

The Mediwitch waved her wand over Harry, before she sighed in relief. "Thank you, Severus. He is doing much better now. His temperature is still very high but nothing compared to what it was before, and his pulse is almost back to normal. I'm going to keep him here until he's completely recovered, which might be tomorrow or could as well take a few days. Please let him get some rest now."

Minerva cast Severus a grateful look, before she commended him, "Well done, Mr. Snape. 100 points to Slytherin for saving the life of a class mate."

Severus slightly inclined his head, before he replied, "Thank you, Professor."

"Now please accompany me to my office, all of you. You owe Minerva and me a few explanations, gentlemen," Poppy stated in a no-nonsense voice, striding ahead without giving anyone a chance to back out. "Headmaster, what were you thinking taking children to kill a basilisk? How can you endanger your students like this?" she queried, furiously glaring at Dumbledore, who cringed under her wrath.

"That's exactly my question," Minerva agreed angrily, before her husband and Severus began to tell them the whole story.

Harry remained asleep for three days, and after another two days Pomfrey finally released him from the hospital wing, instructing him to take it easy for a few days, which according to the Mediwitch meant no Quidditch and no running around the corridors. The Marauders, consisting of James, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Lily, spent every free minute keeping Harry company, informing him about their research progress concerning the castle's corridors. While Harry had been asleep, Severus had conducted several tests with powdered basilisk venom but didn't come to any conclusions so far.

On Saturday morning, just before Harry was allowed to leave, Dumbledore strayed into the wing to speak with his great grandson. "Harry, I'd like to speak to you. Did you already have breakfast?" he queried gently.

"No, I thought I'd be allowed to leave in time for breakfast," Harry gave back, giving the Mediwitch a hopeful glance.

"If that's so, let's have breakfast together in my office. Poppy, may Harry leave?"

"Yes, you may go, Harry. Don't do anything strenuous for a few days, and don't skip meals. I don't want to see you here again before the Easter holidays," the Healer instructed him firmly.

"Don't worry, I don't want to see you either," Harry blurted out in a small voice, before he said aloud, "Thank you Madam Pomfrey."

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Dumbledore led Harry to the Headmaster's office, where he informed him that Moody had talked to the head of the Aurors about the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and that Hagrid had been granted a trial, which was scheduled for Monday the following week.

"Now Harry, do you have any memories of Voldemort telling you that he had opened the chamber, which could be used at the trial?"

Harry remained pensive for a while, before he finally replied, "Yes, I think so. May I borrow your Pensieve, sir?" He put a few memories, which didn't reveal anything about having occurred in the future, into the Pensieve. _'I just hope that no one is going to find out about the future_,' he thought, absentmindedly observing Dumbledore enter the Pensieve. While the Headmaster was watching his memories, Harry pondered if there was anything else that he might be able to do for Hagrid, before his great grandfather pulled him out of his reverie.

"Very good, Harry. That'll do," the Headmaster said thoughtfully. "The only problem is that we'll have to explain where you come from in order to clarify where and when these scenes might have taken place. Therefore, we'll have to tell them the truth and must be careful to obliviate everyone, who leaves the room."

"Could we perhaps take Professor Flitwick with us for that purpose? If anyone is good at memory charms it must be him, and since he doesn't have to say anything at the trial he can fully concentrate on placing memory charms on people," Harry suggested, gently stroking Fawkes' head feathers.

"That's a brilliant idea, Harry. I'll talk to Professor Flitwick at lunchtime," Dumbledore promised, sounding relieved at the solution. "By the way, we should have breakfast."

"All right," Harry agreed just when the door opened, revealing a sternly looking McGonagall.

"Why are you not at breakfast in the Great Hall?" she enquired, glaring at her husband.

"I'm sorry, Minerva; we're going to have breakfast this minute. Twinkle! Could you bring breakfast for Harry and me, and tea for Minerva please? Now, Min, I had to discuss something with Harry concerning Hagrid's trial," Dumbledore replied in a soothing voice. "He put several memories into the Pensieve that clearly prove Hagrid's innocence, yet regardless of the fact that he can't even open the chamber."

"That's very good," McGonagall commended her great grandson. "Hagrid deserves better, and I'll be very happy to teach him in private if he wants to study for his OWLs and NEWTs."

"In my time, you engaged him as professor for Care of Magical Creatures, and he taught very well," Harry informed the Headmaster, thinking, '_At least before Umbridge made him so frightened that he spent ages only teaching about flubberworms_.'

"Thank you for the information, Harry. I'll think about hiring him as soon as our current teacher retires," Dumbledore promised. "I'll try to do the same with Severus by the way. As soon as Professor Slughorn takes his leave, Severus should have the job, don't you believe that would be the best, Minerva?"

"I fully agree, Albus. But now eat your breakfast please, both of you," the Scottish lioness said in a strict voice.

When the two teachers dismissed Harry, he asked hesitantly, "Hagrid knows about where I come from, doesn't he?"

"Yes Harry, he knows," McGonagall replied softly. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, I'd like that very much. Thank you. Bye." He took a short detour via his dormitory to pick up his own Pensieve, before he headed straight to Hagrid's hut.

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"Hello Harry. Interesting story that Dumbledore tol' me 'bout you," Hagrid beamed, ushering him into his hut.

"I don't know how much he told you, but I just wanted to tell you my version of things. I'd like to show you my memories of how we met, that you were the first friend I ever had, and that it was you, who gave me my first birthday present and baked the first birthday cake for me." Harry put his memory into the Pensieve and invited Hagrid to enter the Pensieve together with him.

When they finally left the Pensieve, Hagrid was stunned. "So we're really close in your time, aren't we?"

"Yes, and Dumbledore hires you as Care Of Magical Creatures teacher, and you're a really good one," Harry said, smiling. "I changed the future so much since I came here, so I don't know what's going to happen this time, but Dumbledore knows about it and I hope he'll remember to do so again." He grinned mischievously. "Anyway, Hagrid, we'll meet at the trial on Monday. I'm very glad that you get one, because in my time you were still using your umbrella as a wand, and they even put you into Azkaban when the Chamber of Secrets was opened again. But since I changed the future by killing Voldemort, you have nothing to fear. I put a memory into Dumbledore's Pensieve that proves your innocence, so you don't have to worry about the trial. Everything will be all right. Bye now, Hagrid."

"Bye, Harry, and thank you so much for doing this for me!" Hagrid replied, unobtrusively wiping a crocodile's tear from his cheek.

"You're welcome," Harry responded, smiling.

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On the day of the trial, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Hagrid and Harry took the Floo straight from the Headmaster's office to the Ministry of Magic. The trial took place in a small courtroom under exclusion of the public, and Alastor Moody had arranged for the trial to be held with as few people involved as possible.

Since Harry was the most important witness, he was called up immediately. When he was asked to state his name and birthday, everyone who didn't already know, who he was, gasped. Fearing that people wouldn't believe that he came from the future, Harry suggested to be questioned under Veritaserum. The judge agreed, so he was given just one drop of Veritaserum, before he was further questioned.

"When did you first meet Hagrid?"

"I first met Hagrid on my eleventh birthday. He came to explain to me about Hogwarts and took me to buy my supplies."

"Did he open the Chamber of Secrets thirty years ago, causing the death of a student?"

"No."

"How can you know that? You were not even alive at that time."

"No, but Voldemort as Tom Riddle told me in my second year at Hogwarts that Hagrid was innocent, and he can't speak Parseltongue anyway, which would be necessary to open the Chamber."

"Who then opened the Chamber?"

"Tom Riddle."

"Why do you know that?"

"He told me so at the same time. You can watch my memory in the Pensieve if you wish."

His memory was self explanatory, and Hagrid was judged to be innocent and was given permission to receive a new wand as his had been snapped thirty years ago. He was also granted thirty thousand gallons as compensation for the misjudgement, which had taken place thirty years ago. Harry beamed at his friend, thinking, '_Thank Merlin that I came to the past._'

"Headmaster, Harry, thank you so much," Hagrid just managed to blurt out, before large tears began to pour down his face.

"You're very welcome, Hagrid," Harry replied, feeling extremely happy for his first real friend.

"Headmaster, may I take Harry to Diagon Alley for an ice cream?" the half giant asked happily.

"Of course Hagrid, you may. Harry is excused from all classes today," Dumbledore replied gently, smiling at both of them.

"Cool," was all Harry could reply, before he had to wriggle himself out of a bear hug in Hagrid's large arms.

After devouring a monstrous ice cream at Fortesque's ice cream parlour, Hagrid and Harry went to buy a new wand for Hagrid. They spent the whole afternoon in Diagon Alley, and especially Harry enjoyed it very much. He felt as free as he hadn't felt in a long time. In the past few years that he had lived in the future, he hadn't been able to go out unless a bunch of Order members were accompanying him, and after Voldemort's demise he had spent all the time either in the hospital wing or being grounded by his over protective great grandmother. He hadn't even been able to go to Hogsmeade since then.

The two friends only returned to Hogwarts in time for dinner. In order to apparate back to Hogwarts, Hagrid embraced him a bit too fiercely, so that Harry felt he couldn't breathe anymore and was overcome by dizziness. The next thing he knew was that they were standing on the street leading from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts.

"Wow, Hagrid, your grip is too strong. I could barely breathe," Harry complained and set to walk towards the castle.

"You're just in time Harry," James addressed him, when he sat down at the Gryffindor table for dinner. "Don't forget that we've Quidditch practice after dinner!"

"Yes James," Harry replied, tiredly, ignoring the angry look that Lily cast his father and forgetting that he was not supposed to play Quidditch anyway.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews for the previous chapter!_


	19. Chapter 19

**The Changed Time Line  
****by Healer Pomfrey****  
**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

After the trial was over and the basilisk had been vanquished, Harry resolved to concentrate on his studies and on the research of the Floo powder for the time being. _'Maybe I should also continue my lessons about wandless magic with great grandfather,' _he thought. One morning at breakfast, Harry was pushing his food around the plate, deep in thoughts, and nearly choked, startled, when Severus addressed him from behind.

"Harry, do you have time to meet me in the Room of Requirement after breakfast?" the boy queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"Of course," Harry replied in surprise, smiling at his best friend. "Sorry Lily, I'll be in the common room later on, so that we can do our homework together."

"Don't worry about Lily," James threw in, smirking, causing everyone to laugh. "I'll take care of her for you."

Harry did not notice the dirty look that Severus cast in James' direction; only Lily saw his expression and grinned inwardly.

Severus and Harry met in the Room of Requirement turned private potions lab, and Severus told Harry, "I've run a lot of tests, and I think we need two more ingredients, which we require help with. One is unicorn's horn and the other house-elf hair. Do you have an idea, whom we could ask about that these two? Would your great grandfather be able to help us?"

Harry let out a long sigh, before he replied, pensively, "Maybe we can ask Hagrid for unicorn's horn. He knows about me anyway, so it'll be easy to ask him. With the house-elf hair my great grandfather will surely be able to help us. Considering that all the house-elves at Hogwarts are bonded to him, he'll manage to provide some hair for us. Shall we go and ask both of them right away?" he finally suggested.

Severus agreed, and they decided to see the Headmaster first.

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After spending twenty minutes on guessing the password for the gargoyle, which was set back to 'lemon drops,' they entered the Headmaster's office, exchanging an exasperated glance when Dumbledore offered them a lemon drop.

"No thank you, great grandfather," Harry politely declined.

"Professor, I don't need a lemon drop, thank you, but we'd appreciate your help in the following matter," Severus began to explain. "For the time travel Floo powder, I'd like to try house-elf hair, but it has to be freely given. Do you know any elf whom we could ask for it, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled fondly at the two boys. "That shouldn't be a problem. Let's ask Twinkle first. Twinkle!"

"Yes Master Albus, what can Twinkle do for you and Mr. Pane and Mr. Snape?" the small elf queried, popping up in front of the Headmaster.

"Twinkle, Severus and Harry are trying to invent a potion, which is very important for Harry. However, this potion requires house-elf hair, which is freely given. Do you believe any of our elves would be willing…"

Twinkle did not wait for the professor to finish his question. A huge smile spread over his small face, and he beamed with joy. "Yes Master Albus, Mr. Snape, Mr. Pane, Twinkle would be honoured to give his hair for your potion, no problem. Twinkle can make his hair as long as it is needed."

Seeing that Harry and Severus sighed in apparent relief, the Headmaster smiled at his personal house-elf. "That's very reassuring Twinkle, thank you so much. Severus, would you like to have some hair immediately? If so, how much do you need?"

"I'd appreciate it very much," Severus replied, gratefully. "Thanks a lot, Twinkle. For the moment, only a little bit would suffice, since we're only trying out a potion. In the case that this really works, we're going to need quite a lot I'm afraid though."

"Thanks a lot, Twinkle," Harry interrupted his friend. "So this problem is solved. Another thing which we need is unicorn horn. Great granddad, do you think Hagrid could help us with that?"

Dumbledore nodded, proudly smiling at his great grandson. "If anyone is able to get unicorn horn for you, it'll be Hagrid," he replied, pleasantly. "And I can imagine that he'd do anything for you Harry, considering that he owes you his freedom."

Harry vehemently shook his head and contradicted, "No sir, he doesn't owe me anything, Professor. But we'll go and ask him. Thanks a lot for your help."

"You're always welcome, my boys. May I assume that you're progressing successfully with your potion?" the Headmaster queried gently, causing Harry to groan.

Severus cast his friend a questioning glance, before he replied, "Yes Professor, it might take us a few more weeks, but we'll probably be able to invent the powder."

"We?" Harry blurted out in exasperation. "You! I'm not doing anything. Great granddad, I'm sorry, but I'm too much of a dunderhead at Potions, and I can't do anything about it. Severus is doing the whole work alone. I'm only reading book after book without the slightest success."

"No," Severus contradicted firmly. "That's not true. Who was it who nearly got himself killed by vanquishing a basilisk in order for me to get the ingredients? Who took me here to get the house-elf hair? And who's going to accompany me to Hagrid to ask for the unicorn horn? You!"

"That's easy. Everyone could do these things," Harry replied dully, causing Severus to let out a snort.

"Of course, Harry. How many basilisks do you think the other students did already vanquish in their lives? One, two, or thirty?" he sneered.

"All right, my boys, calm down," Dumbledore said gently. "Each one of you is good at doing your parts, Harry is good at Defence and Transfiguration, and Severus is brilliant at Potions. However, you need to consider that if you work together like you've been doing so far during the whole school year, you'll be fantastic at almost everything. It's not important who of you is doing which part of the deal; the main point is that the two of you together are able to do extraordinary work. Don't you ever forget that." With that the Headmaster dismissed the two boys, who hurried down to Hagrid's hut, knowing that they still had a bit of time until lunch.

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"Oh Harry, Severus, it might be difficult to get unicorn horn, because I can't really communicate with the unicorns, and I'm not sure if they'll understand what I want from them," Hagrid said pensively once Severus had explained the reason for their spontaneous visit.

However, Harry had an idea. "Severus, Hagrid, do you believe that a stag would be able to communicate with a unicorn?" he asked, hesitantly.

Severus only shrugged helplessly, while Hagrid remained thoughtful for a moment. Finally, he replied, "I don't know, but it might be possible. Are you thinking of James Potter, or why does it have to be a stag?"

"Yes, I thought of James. I can ask him at lunch," Harry said, eagerly, before he glanced at his wrist watch and jumped up, startled. "Oh no, we're late. Severus, lunch already began fifteen minutes ago. What am I going to do?"

"Oh Harry, take it easy, you won't starve," Hagrid tried to calm the suddenly hyperventilating boy. "What's wrong with him?" he questioned Severus in surprise.

Severus sighed, explaining, "If he skips a meal, he has to show up in the hospital wing to get a potion and a check-up by Pomfrey, and he hates it, because she often finds a reason to keep him overnight."

"Severus, let's run; Hagrid, sorry, we have to go. I'll ask James and come back later. Bye," Harry shouted and began to run, not stopping before he reached the entrance doors, where he waited for Severus, trying to catch his breath.

"I don't know if it's reasonable to go in there after running like this," Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow. "Won't it be better to ask her for the potion?"

"No," Harry replied, horrified, and dashed into the Great Hall. Not daring to glance at the Head table, he took course of the Gryffindor table.

Unbeknownst to the boy, upset looks followed him to his seat. Harry just managed to eat two bites, before all the plates were cleared from the tables. '_Well, I'm not hungry anyway_,' he mused, still trying to catch his breath.

"James, wait a moment, please. I have to ask you something," he turned to his father as his friends made their way out of the Great Hall.

Lily interrupted him in concern. "Harry, what's wrong? You're wheezing terribly."

"It's all right, Lily, I'm fine. I just had to run here all the way from Hagrid's hut in order to be on time for lunch," Harry explained, gasping for air.

"On time you call that?" Sirius blurted out, laughing. "Is that why McGonagall and Pomfrey gave you these murderous looks?"

"Did they?" Harry asked horrified, quickly changing the topic. "Anyway, James, I need to ask you something." Seeing that the other boy looked at him, curiously, he continued, "Do you think you'll be able to talk to unicorns when you're in your Animagus form?"

James smirked in surprise. "What kind of question is that? Why should I try to communicate with unicorns?"

Harry sighed. "Because I need unicorn horn for a very important potion, which Severus and I are just researching," he explained, impatiently.

"We asked Hagrid if he could retrieve it for us, but he said he wasn't able to communicate with them. So Harry had the idea that maybe you could help us by trying to speak with the unicorns as Prongs," Severus joined the conversation.

"I don't know if it'll work, but I can try of course," James replied, astonished. "Shall we go to Hagrid, so that he can take us to meet a unicorn right away?"

"That would be great, James, thank you so much," Harry said gratefully, causing Severus to nod his agreement.

Harry was just about to leave the Great Hall together with his friends, when a strict voice addressed him from behind. "Mr. Pane!"

Harry groaned, closing his eyes in exasperation. '_Oh no, and I'm still having problems breathing_,' he thought, horrified.

"What do you think you are doing? Do you really believe arriving in the Great Hall two minutes before the end of lunch saves you from having missed a meal?" his great grandmother's stern voice penetrated his ear, causing Harry to avert his eyes to the floor.

"Sorry, Great Granny, but Severus and I had to visit Hagrid, because we needed his help with a potions ingredient, and we somehow lost track of time. I could have flashed us here, but I forgot to, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to miss lunch." Harry's voice could hardly be heard as he was getting trouble breathing again.

"I believe that Harry needs a calming draught, Professor," Severus spoke up firmly. "He started hyperventilating when he noticed that we were late for lunch." He took a phial out of his robe pocket, handing it to the teacher.

"Do you always carry around potions?" she asked curiously.

"Yes Professor, but the most often used healing potions only, especially since Harry gets sick so often," Severus replied, smirking.

"Harry, can you drink this for me? Severus made a calming draught for you," McGonagall queried in a gentle voice, causing Harry to down the Potion without protest.

He felt a little better due to the effects of the potion. "May we go now, Professor?"

McGonagall sighed. "Yes Harry, you may go, but I want you to meet me at the hospital wing at half past nine tonight for your nutrient potion."

Harry groaned, grudgingly nodding in defeat.

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"All right James, Severus, let's go. Lily, Sirius, Remus, are you coming too?" Harry invited his friends, hurriedly leaving the Great Hall.

In the end, all of the Marauders accompanied Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest to search for a unicorn. It took them an hour's walk, but finally, they found a herd of unicorns. Hagrid instructed them to stay away and quietly sit down somewhere, causing Harry, who had been feeling a little under the weather ever since lunchtime, to sigh in relief as he sat down on a small stone.

James transformed into Prongs and followed Severus and Hagrid, who carefully walked ahead in a slow pace so as not to startle the animals in order to try to talk to one of them. The unicorns knew that Hagrid was a friend, so they didn't run away and even remained where they were, listening to the stag's talking. After James had translated everything that Severus told him, the unicorns agreed to give them quite an amount of unicorn horn, much more than they needed for the potion.

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Back in the castle, Severus excitedly pulled Harry into to the potions classroom.

"Harry, I think we're nearly getting there. I'm already relatively sure what ingredients we need; however, we must do a few experiments, because I don't know the necessary amounts of each of the ingredients. Today, we'll brew five different potions at the same time, each of them with slightly different quantities. Can you help me?"

"Of course, you'll just have to tell me what to do," Harry replied, tiredly.

They immediately set to work. Harry diligently prepared the ingredients, while Severus was busily taking notes on each step of each potion. Afterwards, Severus compared his notes and started five new potions right away, again taking notes on all of them. Only when he was done with the last step, he noticed that Harry was unnaturally quiet and looked extremely pale.

"Harry!" he pulled his friend out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Harry mumbled tiredly, slowly turning his eyes to his friend. "Finished?"

"Yes, I'm finished for today. You're so quiet, is something wrong?" Severus asked in concern.

"No, I just didn't want to disturb you, so that you could concentrate on the experiment," Harry lied.

"Really? You don't look well," Severus insisted, giving Harry a piercing look.

"My chest has been hurting ever since lunch time. Can I go back to my dormitory?" Harry admitted in a small voice.

"Of course Harry, go to bed. Or maybe I should take you to see the dragon?" Severus queried, raising an eyebrow.

Harry nodded sadly, causing Severus to throw him a surprised look. Harry had to feel really bad, if he would go to Pomfrey willingly. He quickly tidied up the Potions classroom and accompanied Harry up to the hospital wing, where Harry quietly sat down and waited for Severus to get Madam Pomfrey.

The older witch came out of her office instantly, eyeing him in surprise. "What are you doing here, Mr. Pane? I didn't expect you so early."

"He's not feeling well, so I brought him here right away," Severus informed the Mediwitch. He told her what had happened at lunchtime and that Harry apparently hadn't felt well ever since the incident.

Pomfrey waved her wand over Harry, like Severus knowing that it had to be bad if he willingly came to see her. "You have a respiratory infection, which is quite bad," she informed him. "Make yourself comfortable in the bed, Harry, you have to stay here."

Harry only nodded, throwing Severus a sad look.

"When you go to dinner, which is going to commence in five minutes, please tell Professor McGonagall that Harry is here. He'll have to rest today, but you may visit him tomorrow," Pomfrey instructed Severus, shooing him out of the room.

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Later in the evening, Harry heard something talking in Parseltongue, coming from the floor next to his bed. He looked down startled.

"Severusss," Harry hissed at the snake that was lying on the floor next to his bed in surprise.

"Yes, it'sss me. Do you feel a bit better?" his friend asked in concern.

"A bit. What are you doing here in your snake form?" Harry hissed back.

"I wanted to show you something, but the dragon is still in her office," Severus informed him. " I think I have the potion. Tomorrow or whenever she lets you out, we can test it on a rat."

"Wow, that's cool. You're absolutely brilliant," Harry whispered in complete amazement.

"I'll show you the recipe tomorrow. I can't transform back now, because Pomfrey would notice me. Good night, Harry, go to sleep. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Oh no, look at the cat over there," he added, terrified.

"Cat? Oh, is that McGonagall?" Harry queried, similarly shocked.

"Yes, I think so, which means I could be in trouble. Oops."

"Just ignore her and try to leave quickly. Maybe she doesn't want to be seen either," Harry hissed quietly. "Good night Severus and thank you."

HP

When Harry woke up in the morning, Severus was sitting in a chair next to him. As soon as he notice that Harry was awake, he handed him a small piece of parchment.

Harry read the text that was written in Severus' meticulous handwriting with interest.

_Floo powder to get back to the future:  
_- _fairy dust  
_- _essence of whirlwind  
_- _powdered unicorn's horn  
_- _fresh basilisk powder (made from the venom to be collected from a living basilisk or within 24 hours of its death and preserved immediately)  
_- _house elf hair freely given, 1 mm per day (7305 mm = 20 years)__  
_

"Don't lose this parchment; nobody except for us should know about it," Severus instructed him. "And don't get your hopes up yet, you know that we haven't tested it so far. There's still a possibility that it won't work at all."

"All right Severus, thank you so much. When can we test it?" Harry asked eagerly.

Severus smirked, as he replied, "If you want me to do the test alone, I can do it immediately, but when you want to be with me, we'll have to wait until you're allowed to go. How do you feel? Do you think she'll let you go sometime today?"

Harry averted his eyes to his covers, slightly shaking his head. He still didn't feel much better. "Severus, when you go down to breakfast, could you please ask Remus or Lily or even James to bring me my school books? I really have to study for the tests next week, and as I missed all of the last ones because of my fight with Tom, I have to give my best on these tests."

"All right, I will ask them," Severus promised, taking his leave.

HP

Pomfrey finally released Harry on Monday evening just in time for dinner but not before having a stern talk with Harry.

"Harry, did your relatives who raised you ever take you to a Healer or a doctor when you were ill?" she asked strictly.

"No, never," Harry admitted in a small voice. "I always had to heal myself. Broken bones or such external injuries I could always somehow heal by wishing them healed, and internal illnesses just had to go away by themselves. Last summer it was quite bad; I had a cold but couldn't do anything about it, and by the time Dumbledore finally rescued me to Hogwarts it had turned quite bad and you told me it was Pneumonia."

"That's exactly what I thought," Pomfrey replied, letting out a long sigh. "Due to the lack of treatment of illnesses, your immune system has been damaged to a great extent. That's the reason why the two of us meet so often. You have to be very careful when you have any trouble breathing like on Saturday, and even if you catch just a slight cold, you must come to see me immediately, otherwise it might turn into Pneumonia before you know it. You were very near to it this time. And now go to the Great Hall. You'll be just in time for dinner. No running, no playing Quidditch for a week!" she instructed him in a no-nonsense voice.

HP

Right after dinner, Harry hurried to the Slytherin table. "Severus come on, let's get on with it," he said to his friend in apparent excitement.

They two boys strode straight to the Potions classroom, catching and stunning a rat as they went. In the classroom, Severus took a small box filled with yellow powder out of his pocket, threw the rat together with the powder in the fireplace and shouted, "Hogwarts Potions classroom."

Harry and Severus watched the rat disappear. "Now we can only wait until tomorrow," Severus said matter-of-factly. "The problem is that we don't know if it's going to arrive exactly at the same time. As it said in the recipe, 1 mm of elf hair means a day. I put about 1.1mm in the potion to be on the safe side, so the rat should be back about 2 hours later than now, so we should be able to be here in any case."

"All right," Harry agreed, chuckling. "What are we going to tell Lily though, when a rat arrives through the Floo during our Potions tutoring?"

"Let's just tell her it's an experiment, don't tell any details," Severus decided, smirking.

"Okay then, shall we brew something together?" Harry suggested. "I still have time until my wandless magic lesson with Dumbledore."

"That's a good idea," Severus replied, grinning. "Pomfrey has asked me to make a batch of the new pain relieving Potion that I invented, so if you don't mind, we could do that now."

HP

During their Potions tutoring the next evening, neither Harry nor Severus was able to concentrate on their potion.

Suddenly Lily giggled and asked curiously, "What's wrong with the two of you? You're constantly looking at the fireplace. Are you waiting for someone coming through the Floo?"

Severus and Harry couldn't help grinning, and Harry answered sincerely, "Yes, of course, we are waiting for a rat coming to visit us."

When an hour later the fireplace fared green and a stunned rat appeared, Lily glared at the two boys, who inwardly congratulated themselves.

"Lily, you don't want to know," Harry spoke up, chuckling.

"I want to know what you did now," Lily objected, causing Severus and Harry to let out a collective sigh.

"Sorry Lily, it was just an experiment for a potion. If we succeed, you'll get to know about it; all right?"

"All right," Lily grudgingly agreed, still glaring at her friends. " Let's get on with our potion then."

HP

Later the same evening, Harry thought, '_In my time,_ e_veryone told me that the Marauders had always been funny at playing pranks, but ever since I've arrived here, they've done nothing interesting. Do I have to help them with that as well?_'

On their way to the Great Hall the following morning, he whispered to James and Sirius, "Don't you think that we're much too well behaved? Shouldn't we play some pranks?"

"Yes, of course," Sirius immediately agreed. "We almost forgot that we've got to keep up with the reputation that we got in our fifth year. Let's prank the Slytherins."

"No, Sirius. Not the Slytherins," Harry objected firmly. "Don't forget, one of the Marauders is a Slytherin. Instead, let's prank either the teachers or everyone. In fact, I've already thought of something, but I can't tell you here; let's meet with the others beside the lake right after lunch."

_tbc..._

_A huge thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter!_


	20. Chapter 20

**The Changed Time Line  
****by Healer Pomfrey****  
**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

"Well, I was thinking about," Harry began to explain, mischievously, "was making the floor under all the doorways to the main classrooms act as Portkeys." Seeing that his friends looked at him, questioningly, he continued, "I mean the type of Portkey that's going to remain in its proper location and merely transports the people to another location. The Portkeys are supposed to transport people to different classrooms..."

"A great idea," Sirius blurted out in excitement. "We can change the floor under the door of the Transfiguration classroom into a Portkey that sends everyone straight to the Potions classroom."

"And the door of the Potions classroom could send people to the Hospital wing and so on," James continued, equally excited. "It should cause a great deal of chaos throughout the school. A brilliant idea, Harry," he commended his friend.

Remus spoke up, pensively, "Harry, do you know how to make Portkeys? Even the ones that will not move together with the victim?"

"Yes I do," Harry replied, grinning. "In fact, I had that idea while I was stuck in the hospital wing. I flashed straight into the library one night, borrowed a book on Portkeys and studied what to do. It's not really that difficult." Seeing disbelieving looks directed at himself, he chuckled. "Believe me, I practised a lot while Pomfrey kept me in her dragon cave. Since I'm the only one capable of making Portkeys right now, I could go alone some time during the night, but I'd prefer to have one of you with me, and we need to make a plan of which door should lead to where before we head out to charm the doorways."

"When you make the Portkeys, can you fix a time, during which the Portkeys are active?" James queried, looking very enthusiastic.

"Yes, and I think we should just set all times to a fixed date from ten minutes before the start of the first class to five minutes after classes start. Afterwards, the Portkeys should deactivate, and we can easily cancel them completely, if that's what we want," Harry suggested, grinning.

"Harry, that sounds great, but are you really sure it'll work? Should we meet in the dungeons tonight after dinner and try with some of the unused classrooms?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, we have Quidditch practice tonight," James replied regrettably. "Only Remus and Lily are free, but since you need Harry to make the Portkey..."

"Oh right, sorry, James," Harry interrupted him quickly. "I'm not allowed to play Quidditch this week, so I could try with Severus, Lily and Remus. Does anyone have a free period today? If so, you could make a plan, and if our test works this evening, we could set the whole plan into action tonight and set the Portkeys to activate for tomorrow morning."

Remus and Sirius had a free period and developed a plan to transport everyone the farthest possible distance from their original classroom. Unfortunately, the classes for Care Of Magical Creatures couldn't be considered, but all other classrooms, even the green house, where the Herbology classes took place, were included in the plan.

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Harry couldn't believe that the teachers weren't even aware of the obvious excitement that was emitting from the Gryffindor table the next morning. The Marauders couldn't wait for classes to commence. All six of them had Charms as their first class, and the Portkey under the door to the Charms classroom was set to take everyone to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall's face," Sirius whispered to Harry, who just couldn't stop laughing at the thought of the impending mayhem that would ensue with the beginning of the first morning class.

"Be careful Harry, you're attracting attention. Your great grandparents are watching you," Lily whispered from his other side, causing Harry to sober quickly.

"Oh no," he groaned. "If granny thinks I'm behind this, I'll be grounded for the rest of the school year." With that he managed to put a very serious expression on this face and pretended to concentrate on his breakfast.

"All right then, let's go; we don't want to be late for Charms," Remus said in a normal voice for everyone to hear.

HP

The Marauders made their way to the Charms classroom, followed by their classmates, and waited for Professor Flitwick to open the door. As soon as they tried to enter the classroom, they felt a familiar pull behind their navels only to find themselves standing in the middle of the Transfiguration classroom together with the rest of their classmates and Professor Flitwick.

Professor McGonagall however was there as well. '_She probably entered the classroom through the connecting door from her off_ice,' Harry thought and tried hard to put up an expression of absolute confusion just like the other five culprits did. The students, who noticed that they were in the wrong classroom, tried to leave through the door, where they stepped on the next Portkey, causing them to end up in the Potions classroom. There was complete and utter chaos, and it took almost the entire class period before all the students finally reached the appropriate classroom.

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That same day, just after curfew, Fawkes appeared in Harry's dormitory and asked, #Do you know anything about the prank of this morning?#

_'Oh no, they found out,'_ Harry thought in annoyance, but asked innocently, "Why are you asking, Fawkes? Did my great grandfather suspect me and sent you here?"

#No, he didn't,# Fawkes replied with a soothing trill. #He doesn't even know that I came to see you. But Albus was as amused as Minnie was upset. He thought it was funny and even said he was impressed with the abilities of the students who made the Portkeys. You know, he'd rather award House points to someone for playing a good prank than taking them and assigning detention. In fact, I believe both of them suspect you and your friends, but of course I won't give you away.#

"All right Fawkes; yes, it was us. You may tell Dumbledore but not McGonagall please."

#She can't understand me anyway, Icicle# Fawkes trilled happily. #I'll be on my way then; come to visit me again soon.#

As soon as the phoenix had flashed away, James, Remus and Sirius rushed over to Harry's bed.

"What did he say?"

"Do they suspect us?"

Harry couldn't help laughing at his friends' excitement. "It's all right, everything is okay," he explained, grinning. "They suspect us, and McGonagall is quite upset, but Dumbledore thinks it was funny."

Fortunately, their Head of House couldn't see the four inhabitants of the Gryffindor sixth year boys' dormitory rolling on the floor with laughter holding their sides.

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Two days later, James cornered Harry after their Transfiguration class and asked, "When are we going to resume our work on the Marauders' Map?"

Harry let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, James, but since I missed the last tests completely due to the thing with Voldemort, I really have to study hard this time in order to pass the test with a good grade. As soon as the tests are over, I'll help with the map," he promised. "We might be able to do a lot during the Easter holidays, or are you all going home?"

"Usually, we all go home for the holidays, but I suppose we could stay here for a change," James replied thoughtfully.

Over the next two weeks, Harry spent all of his free time studying, and the tests went extremely well. '_Thank Merlin_,' Harry thought, '_I've never had such good grades before_.' Thanks to Severus' Potions tutoring, Harry and Lily both managed to get an O in their Potion tests.

"Cool," Harry said to Severus, happily. "Thanks to your tutoring, I received an O in Potions for the first time. You never gave me anything better than an A before."

Severus smirked. "Your Potions skills have probably improved a great deal during the last six months."

"Well, that might be, but your teaching abilities have improved as well," Harry replied, teasingly. "By the way, Severus, are you going to remain here for the holidays?"

"Of course Harry, as I told you before, I won't leave you here alone," Severus replied, sounding surprised.

"That's great, thank you. The other Marauders are going to stay as well, and I thought we could work on the Marauders' Map. Are many of the Slytherins staying?"

"As far as I know, there'll only be two first years staying, everyone else is going home," Severus replied, his emotions hidden behind a blank expression.

"Shall we ask Dumbledore or McGonagall if you could stay in our dormitory over the holidays?" Harry asked, knowing that his friend would be lonely all on his own in Slytherin. "There's a free bed in our room anyway."

"I'd like that very much, but do you think they will allow it?" Severus asked, hesitantly.

"You mean, because there is no need to have you with me, because there are three others to baby-sit me?" Harry queried, rolling his eyes. "Let's go to the Headmaster's office and ask my great granddad. It's easier to ask McGonagall after getting his approval."

"But won't your room-mates mind?" Severus enquired, his expression schooled into a blank mask, of which Harry knew that he always used if he was uncertain.

"No, of course not, you're a Marauder aren't you?" Harry returned the question and ushered them towards the Headmaster's office.

To the boys' relief, Dumbledore as well as McGonagall immediately agreed and allowed Severus to stay with the Gryffindor sixth years. They merely requested that Severus had to explain the matter to Professor Slughorn.

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As soon as the carriages with the other students had left Hogwarts, the six Marauders gathered in the boys' dormitory and made plans in order to efficiently use their holiday time. They paired up in three groups, Harry and Severus, Remus and Sirius, and Lily and James, and divided the castle into three large parts for their initial explorations. For the second week they were planning to go all together to suss out parts of the castle that were difficult to access and where their different special abilities would be needed.

The six friends spent the whole time exploring the castle. Unfortunately, Harry and Severus were so absorbed in their task that they managed to miss lunch or dinner every second day, but the two boys couldn't care less; as long as they weren't hungry, they didn't want to interrupt their work. Five minutes before curfew every evening, they flashed to the hospital wing, where Harry downed his obligatory nutrient potion, before he transformed back into his phoenix form and flashed Severus and himself back to Gryffindor. On the fifth day, McGonagall and Pomfrey were waiting for him, looking very angry and threatening to keep him there if he missed another meal, causing Harry to be more careful about the mealtimes during the second week.

At the end of the first week, the friends were able to draw the main points onto the map and only had the fine tuning left for the second week as well as the Charms that they wanted to apply to the map. During the second week, Lily and Remus spent a lot of time in the library looking for useful Charms for the map, while the four others were busy with the fine measurement of places that were difficult to access, where Harry's or Severus' Animagus abilities were needed. Due to Harry's ability to flash them all around the castle, they managed to complete most of the areas by the end of the holidays.

Too soon for their likings, school started again, and each of them regretted not having much free time anymore. Only whenever at least two of them had free periods, they continued to work on the map.

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Quidditch practice resumed as well, and James made them train very hard in order to win the Quidditch cup that Gryffindor apparently hadn't won in ages. The final match against Ravenclaw was in two weeks' time, and they had Quidditch practice not only three nights a week until a few minutes before curfew, but also on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Harry groaned in annoyance; he loved flying, but Quidditch practice five days a week, especially mostly in the rain, was just too much.

One day after their Potions class, Professor Slughorn addressed Severus and Harry, unexpectedly. "Mr. Snape and Mr. Pane, please stay for a moment after class."

The two friends exchanged a surprised look. '_What's that about_?' Harry mused in confusion, seeing from Severus' expression that his friend didn't have a clue what the Potions professor wanted either.

_"I just wanted to ask you about the Chamber of Secrets. Have you yet found the time to harvest the basilisk ingredients?" Professor Slughorn queried, throwing Severus and Harry a questioning look._

"No Professor, we haven't had the time to go to the chamber yet," Severus replied in exasperation. "But we should definitely work on doing that. Maybe we could go down there on Saturday or Sunday; what do you think Harry?"

"I have Quidditch practice in the morning, but after that we can go, on both days if you wish. Would you like to join us, Professor?" Harry asked, inwardly groaning at the prospect of spending two afternoons in the Chamber of Secrets together with the Potions professor.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to come with you," Slughorn replied immediately, before he hesitantly asked, "Mr. Pane, what do you intend to do with the ingredients?"

Harry cast the teacher a surprised look. "Why do you ask me, sir? They're not mine."

"Ah but they are yours. It was you, who discovered the chamber and opened it to vanquish the basilisk. No one else can even access the chamber," the professor explained gently.

"I don't intend doing anything with them. If it was up to me, I'd say half of the ingredients are for the Hogwarts Potions classroom, where you, Professor, and, if necessary, the students have access to them, and the other half is for Severus and his personal experiments," Harry quickly decided, causing Severus to look at him in disbelief.

"Are you sure that you want to give everything away, Mr. Pane? These ingredients are worth a huge amount of galleons," Slughorn said, questioningly. "But if you decide on doing so, I can only say thank you very much. Let's go on Saturday after lunch then. I will notify Professor Dumbledore; he may want to come along as well."

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After nearly four hours of Quidditch practice in the rain and a short lunch on Saturday, Harry, Severus, and the two professors entered the Chamber of Secrets. While Severus and the Potions professor carefully began to work on harvesting the ingredients from the basilisk, Harry and Professor Dumbledore explored the Chamber only to discover that it was much larger than they had originally thought. After passing through one small wooden door that they had discovered, which also opened on "open" in Parseltongue, they found a comfortable room similar to the Gryffindor common room, only in Slytherin colours. The room even held a huge fireplace, and behind another door they found a huge library, which contained large ornate book shelves that reached the ceiling and were packed full of books from the Founders' time. The room was a treasure trove for long lost research.

"I'm already so busy, when will I have the time to read all these books? Where's Hermione when I need her? Maybe I should stay here until the end of my seventh year, Great granddad," Harry blurted out, jokingly.

"Why not Harry, you're very welcome to do so. It doesn't matter when you return as long as you do so before you're born. You already changed the future so much that it doesn't matter anymore," Dumbledore reassured him gently, popping a lemon drop into his mouth as he spoke.

While Harry was sitting on the sofa in Slytherin's chamber looking at a book, the conversation with his grandfather replayed repeatedly in his mind.

Suddenly, Dumbledore's voice brought him back to the present. "Harry, dinner will begin in ten minutes; we need to return, but we can come back here tomorrow, if you want."

They called the others, and Harry flashed them to the Potions classroom, where the two Potions specialists stored all the ingredients that they had collected, before Harry flashed them to the Great Hall just on time for dinner.

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"Hi Harry, where have you been?" Sirius queried, letting out a few sneezes.

Remus cast James a dirty look. "That's what you get for having your team fly in the rain for hours; they get sick and you have to play Quidditch all on your own."

"Tell him Remus. He is crazy," Harry agreed, before he explained in a small voice, "I had to go to the Chamber of Secrets with Slughorn, Dumbledore and Severus, because they wanted to harvest the Basilisk for potions ingredients. However, since the basilisk is so huge, it's going to take them a lot of time to collect everything. My great grandfather and I explored a bit while they were busy, and we discovered a huge library, containing hundreds of books from the time of the Founders."

"Really Harry? That sounds very interesting. May I come with you sometime?" Lily enquired, excitedly.

"I'd love to go as well," Remus spoke up.

"Me too," James and Sirius agreed, simultaneously.

Harry let out a long sigh. "I can take you all, but can we please wait until after the Quidditch match? I have to go again tomorrow, but I must take Slughorn, Dumbledore, and Severus. I could take one of you with us but not all of you. Lily, do you want to come tomorrow?"

"Yes Harry, I'd love to go with you tomorrow, thank you," Lily said happily, looking at her future son in excitement.

After dinner, Lily and Harry met with Severus in the Potions classroom. "Very well, what do you want to brew today?" Severus queried.

"I'd like to brew some healing potions," Harry replied, "maybe Pepperup potion or fever reducing potion?"

"Why, are you ill?" Lily asked, eyeing him worriedly.

"No, at least not yet, but if James continues with these Quidditch practices and I have to fly in the rain for another three or four hours a day it's only a matter of time. Sirius has already caught a cold," Harry replied, sighing in apparent annoyance.

"All right, we can do that," Severus agreed, pensively. "But you have to promise to be careful with the potions. If you take them too often or in a too high dosage, healing potions can be dangerous. And if you drink any of them, you must tell someone," he added in a stern voice.

"Okay, I'll remember to do that," Harry replied evenly. They brewed the two healing potions, which Harry had suggested, and Severus took half of the batch to give it to Madam Pomfrey, before he handed the other half to Harry.

"Thank you Severus. By the way, do you think we should include the Chamber of Secrets in the Marauders' Map?" Harry suddenly remembered to ask.

"Why not? On the other hand, nobody can access it, or is there another way rather than the normal entrance?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "In the room that I visited with my great grandfather today, there was a large fireplace, so maybe we could connect it to the internal Floo Network. I can ask Dumbledore tomorrow."

"All right you two, curfew begins in twenty minutes, so we should head back Harry," Lily threw in, clearing their workspace with a flick of her wand like she had been taught by Severus a few weeks ago.

"All right Severus, we'll see you after lunch tomorrow; Lily's going to join us tomorrow, and the other Marauders are already on the waiting list," Harry explained with a smirk.

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On Sunday morning, the everlasting rain continued, but James insisted that the weather on the following Saturday would probably not be much better and they needed to train in this weather in order to be prepared for every occasion, and Harry in particular should practise finding the Snitch between the low-lying clouds.

_'What a nonsense,'_ Harry thought, as he searched for the Snitch in absolute annoyance. _'It won't help me find the Snitch faster next week, since the clouds will be different from today's, and it's not as if the Snitch had a pattern in which kind of clouds it hides.' _He sighed in relief, when James ended the practice in time for lunch.

HP

Right after lunch, Slughorn and Severus resumed their work on harvesting the Basilisk, while Dumbledore and Harry led Lily to Salazar Slytherin's library.

"Professor, do you think this fireplace could be connected to the internal Floo Network?" Harry asked as they crossed the room with the fireplace.

"I have no idea, Harry, but we can try," Dumbledore said, pensively. The Headmaster lit a fire in the fireplace, conjured some Floo powder, threw it in, and the fireplace turned green. Sticking his head into the fireplace, he shouted, "Minerva McGonagall's office."

During the next few minutes, the two professors discussed how to discover the name of the fireplace they were just using; however, they were unable to come up with a solution.

"Is there a portrait of Salazar Slytherin somewhere in the castle? We could ask him; he should be able to help us, considering that he built this part of the castle," Harry suggested.

"That's a very good idea, Harry; I believe that there is a portrait in the dungeons. I'll look for it," Dumbledore promised in determination.

"Perhaps we can even find out some information about it in the library," Harry suggested, letting out a small series of sneezes.

"Let's have a thorough look around the library," Dumbledore agreed, and each of the three began to skim a different corner of the extensive library.

"Professor, should we perhaps catalogue all the book titles on a parchment?" Lily queried, throwing the Headmaster a questioning glance.

"I believe that would be a very good idea," Dumbledore agreed immediately. "Let me call Minerva again and ask her for parchment and quills so we can begin." He came back with the required materials, and the three set to work.

The bookshelves were very dusty, causing Harry to sneeze repeatedly.

"Harry, are you all right?" Lily asked in concern. "Is it just the dust, or did you catch a cold?"

"I don't know, but it's really dusty here," Harry replied, trying to slap the dust from his robes with his hand.

Dumbledore laughed, banishing the dust with a flick of his wand.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said gratefully and eagerly continued with his task. Nevertheless, by dinnertime, they had only finished a very small part of the library. "Maybe we should try to come again in the evenings after dinner; otherwise we'll never finish this," he suggested, looking questioningly at Lily and his great grandfather.

"We can come back later today, right after dinner," Lily agreed, glancing around in excitement.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to come with you," Dumbledore replied, thoughtfully, "but I'd like to ask you to bring Floo powder in order to call me in my office in case you need help, and please keep the entrance open to allow any of us to come to help if necessary. I know that Fawkes could flash me here, but I just want to be on the safe side."

"All right, Professor, we'll do that. Maybe we can bring the other Mar… Ah … I mean James, Sirius, and Remus as well, and they can help us with the cataloguing of the books," Lily said, looking questioningly at Harry, who nodded and sneezed again.

"All right then, let's go," he replied and transformed into Icicle. With a flash, they left for the other room, where Severus and Professor Slughorn were still busily harvesting ingredients.

"We're going for dinner. Are you going to join us, or will you be skipping dinner? Harry and his friends will come back later on," Dumbledore informed them.

Slughorn and Severus exchanged a glance, before the professor replied, "No, we'll continue our work here for a while."

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After dinner, Harry and Lily brought their friends with them to the Chamber and continued copying the book titles.

"What's this?" James suddenly queried, holding up a book.

Harry looked at the title, unable to understand what James' problem was, before he realized it was written in Parselscript. "Oh Merlin, do you know what this is?" he shouted in excitement, sneezing again. "This is Salazar Slytherin's diary!"

"Wow, that sounds cool. But since you're the only one able to read it, maybe you should translate it so everyone can read it," Sirius suggested, sneezing.

"You're right Sirius; I'm going to take it with me and try to translate it," Harry promised.

"Sirius and Harry, are you having a sneezing contest?" Remus asked reproachfully. "Maybe you should go and see Madam Pomfrey."

"Definitely not," Harry replied, inwardly groaning at the thought of going to the hospital wing. "Sirius, I have a phial of Pepperup potion, which we can share."

Sirius stepped over to Harry, and each of them drank half of the phial, while the others laughed at them because of the steam coming out their ears.

Lily carefully placed the back of her hand on Harry's forehead. "You need the other potion as well," she said, slightly reproachfully.

"Here, Sirius, we need this too. Drink half of it," Harry obeyed in clear annoyance.

Sirius complied, handing the phial back to Harry, who gulped down the rest and sighed in relief as he felt the potion take effect. "Thanks Harry; it was absolutely disgusting. What was it by the way?" Sirius asked, causing everyone to groan.

"Fever reducer, but now let's keep cataloguing the books," Lily replied, shaking her head.

James looked from one of his friends to the other in confusion. "Do you have any more secrets?" he asked Lily, who shook her head, smiling.

It was a few minutes before curfew, when Professor Slughorn and Severus joined them. "I think we should call it a day," the professor suggested.

"I'm going to take this diary with me and hope I can find time to read and if possible translate it. Does anyone else want to borrow a book?" Harry asked before changing into Icicle again.

Lily and Remus each borrowed a book, and they returned to their common rooms.

HP

During the following week, the six friends spent every evening, on which they didn't have Quidditch practice, in the chamber. The library was so huge that by Friday evening they still hadn't finished cataloguing the book titles.

Harry began to read Slytherin's diary. However, he was so busy with classes, homework, Quidditch, cataloguing book titles, and exploring for the Marauders' Map, that he could only read during the night. Moreover, even if the book was very interesting, due to the fact that it was written in Parselscript, Harry couldn't read it as fast as normal English books.

He wasn't in a good shape anyway. In contrast to Sirius, whose cold had gone away after the first dose of Pepperup and fever reducer, Harry had to take the two potions every night to prevent his condition from worsening. However, on Friday evening, after spending the rainy night of the full moon in the forest with his friends, he noticed that his condition hadn't improved at all, but had in fact taken a turn for the worse.

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At breakfast on Saturday morning, a little more than an hour before the final Quidditch game, Harry was only pushing his food around his plate, causing Lily to place a cool hand on his forehead, gasping as she felt the heat of his skin.

"Harry, you're in no condition to play Quidditch," she said firmly. "James, you have to get someone else to play in his place; he's burning up."

"No, I'm able to play, no problem," Harry countered weakly, causing the Marauders to look at him in concern.

Sirius hissed angrily, "Was that display necessary here at the table? Now McGonagall and Pomfrey are watching Harry and will try to prevent him from playing. We really need Harry to play today."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews!_


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